PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party's (

)

unit chief

on Sunday said the 14 to 15 turncoats, who had left the party before the state assembly elections in October, are in touch with senior party leaders in an attempt to return to the party fold.

"The NCP will consider entry to these MLAs on merit. There will be no 'mega bharti' (mass inclusion)," Patil said, ahead of the party's core committee meeting in the city on Sunday.

The party will speak to local leaders and party cadre in the respective constituencies before taking back the turncoats, he added. "The decision should not hurt party loyalists. Workers and youngsters, who supported us when times were tough, should not feel dejected," he added.

NCP leaders and president Sharad Pawar are working on providing "a stable and strong state government," he said.

Pawar had earlier expressed confidence that there would be no midterm elections in the state.

Senior party leaders including Pawar, former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil, Supriya Sule, Hasan Mushrif, Anil Deshmukh and Jitendra Awhad met to discuss formation of a government and other issues.

On Saturday, reacting to state BJP president Chandrakant Patil's assertion that they will form the government, NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "They are worried that the MLAs who joined the BJP from other parties will now defect. Hence, they are making these statements, to keep the flock together," Malik said.