I'm confident, Maha govt will be formed soon: Fadnavis after meeting Shah

New Delhi: Amid the power struggle with alliance partner Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday expressed confidence that the state will be getting a new government soon.

Speaking to media, Fadnavis said, "I don't want to comment on anything anyone is saying on new government formation. All I want to say is that Maharashtra needs a new government as soon as possible and it will be formed soon, I am confident."

“I or anyone from BJP will not give any reaction on the ongoing speculation and comments being made about government formation in Maharashtra. We are completely assured and a new government will be formed in the state,” he added. Fadnavis did not elaborate on the details of this arrangement.

The statement came after Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek more assistance from Central Government for farmers affected due to unseasonal rain in Maharashtra.

"I had gone to meet the Home Minister requesting assistance. I have submitted him the preliminary estimates and he has talked to the relevant officials," said Fadnavis.

"We have also asked them to hold a meeting with the insurance companies so that the companies can help the farmers with the disaster that they have faced during the rains and he (Amit Shah) has agreed to it," he added.

The meeting between the leaders come hours before Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar is scheduled to meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the political developments in the state.

Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut has already scheduled a meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari - the third big political meeting of the day - later for the evening. Raut hasn’t indicated the agenda for his meeting with the Governor.

The BJP-Shiv Sena combine won state elections but the two alliance partners have not been able to decide on forming the government after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena insisted that one of its leaders also get a chance to sit in the chief minister’s chair over the next five years.

While the BJP and Sena fought the elections together and secured 105 seats and 56 seats respectively, they have had trouble coming to an agreement about portfolios and sharing the chief minister’s post by rotation. The NCP bagged 54 seats and the Congress 44. The majority mark in the legislative assembly is 145.