These members were paraded before the assembly speaker Datta Nalavade and council chairman NS Pharande who verified their signatures. In the state assembly the original CLP had a strength of 77 members while it had 26 members in the state council. With Thursday's split, the original CLP will have a support of 31 members from assembly and 13 members from council who were present during the meeting convened by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on May 31. However, former assembly speaker Shankarrao Jagtap is still undecided.

Nalavade said the decision on recognition of formation of a separate group by the CLP members will be decided before the commencement of monsoon session of thestate legislature from July 19. However, Pharande told reporters that the decision on recognising the new group will be taken jointly by him and Nalavade on Saturday.

Nalavade said he had verified the signatures of 45 members and added he had received the letter from the leader of opposition in the state assembly Madhukar Pichad on the split in the CLP.

Nalavade said acording to the Anti-Defection Law, one third of the total strenght was needed for a split. He, however, declined to comment on the merit of today'split.

Reacting to the formation of the group, MPCC spokesman WR Sherekar said "the voters will not forget the betrayal by these legislators in the coming elections."

Leader of Opposition in the council, Chhagan Bhujbal said the process of the merger of the separate group with NCP would be initiated soon. He claimed more Congress legislators would join the Pawar camp within a month.

The Congress has already expelled 21 members from assembly and nine members from council for throwing theirweight behind the Maratha strongman. The Pawar camp struck back by expelling six members from council and nine members from assembly.

Asked if their supporters, who were still not expelled from Congress, would resign from that party, Bhujbal said, "We will take a decision as per the rules at an appropriate time." Some parties had also pledged support to the new group in the upper house, he said but refused to name them.

Leader of Oposition in the assembly, Madhukar Pichad said legislators supporting Pawar held a meeting at Vidhan Bhavan here prior to being paraded before the presiding officers of the state legislature. These legislators endorsed the decision taken at the May 31 CLP meeting to elect Pichad and Bhujbal as the CLP leaders in the assembly and council respectively.