Decision on Maharashtra govt likely tomorrow: Cong

New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders met at party’s interim chief Sonia Gandhi’s residence on Thursday over the issue of government formation in Maharashtra after a series of talks with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena. This Congress’s top decision-making body meeting came a day after the party said it was in talks to form a ‘stable government’ in the state.

After the CWC meet, Congress leader K C Venugopal said: “I think tomorrow we will probably have a decision in Mumbai.”

According to news agency PTI, Congress sources said a final decision on Maharashtra is expected by Friday. The CWC, the sources said, has broadly agreed to go ahead with government formation with Shiv Sena and the NCP.

Another meeting between Congress and NCP is to happen Thursday night and a final meeting with Shiv Sena will happen Friday in Mumbai. The decision on government formation in Maharashtra will be announced in Mumbai on Friday, the sources said.

On Wednesday, after meeting with the NCP, the Congress said ‘some aspects of the alliance’ were still to be discussed.

Addressing media, the NCP leader Nawab Malik along with Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said: "There can't be any government in Maharashtra without the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. We are trying our best to resolve issues.

The formula being discussed involves the Shiv Sena sharing chief ministership with the NCP, with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray taking the first half. The details include two deputy chief ministers, one from the Congress.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single largest party, could not stake claim to form a government after the Shiv Sena remained firm on its demand of rotating the chief minister’s post and equal sharing of cabinet berths.

The Sena parted its ways with the BJP only to explore ways to form a government. It, however, failed to prove the support of the required number of MLAs in the time given by Governor BS Koshyari.

The governor had then invited the NCP, the third-largest party, to prove its ability to form the government failing which President’s Rule was imposed in the state.

With the top three parties - BJP, Sena and NCP -- failing to produce letters of support, Maharashtra was placed under President's Rule. A week on, a non-BJP alliance is still in making.