Sena, NCP, Congress govt in Maharashtra by December'

Mumbai: The Maharashtra deadlock is likely to conclude with the formation of a government comprising the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress in the last week of November or the first week of December, a source told The Asian Age.

After Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave her go-ahead for forming post-poll alliance with Shiv Sena, leaders of the Congress and NCP held a six-hour long meeting at Sharad Pawar’s New Delhi residence on Wednesday evening to finalise the common minimum programme.

Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who participated in the meeting, said, “We have had a positive discussion regarding the government formation in Maharashtra. The final decision will be announced on Friday.”

“We were also in constant touch with Sena leadership in Mumbai. We have made a lot of progress. Tomorrow we will meet at 10 am and again at 1 pm and then we will return to Mumbai, where we will hold discussions with Sena leadership. We have finalised all important issues. Few minor points remain now,” Mr Chavan added.

Other leaders present in the meeting were Mr Pawar, Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Nawab Malik, Jayant Patil from the NCP and Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Balasaheb Thorat, Nasim Khan and others from the Congress.

The government formation, however, may take place only after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray meets Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik confirmed that all three parties — Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena — will join the government. “It is clear that the government cannot be formed unless all three parties come together,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who was also in Delhi and monitored the Congress-NCP meeting on television, confirmed that the government will be formed at the earliest and the chief minister will be from Shiv Sena.

When asked about who will be the chief minister, Mr Raut said, “People of Maharashtra want Uddhav Thackeray to lead the government. The Congress and NCP’s sentiment is also the same. Uddhavji has never expressed the desire to become the CM. But that is what people want. The final decision will be his.”

Mr Raut indicated that Mr Thackeray’s name as the chief ministerial candidate has already been conveyed to the Congress and Mrs Gandhi.

According to sources, the Congress leaders will now brief Mrs Gandhi about the discussion held at Mr Pawar’s residence. There will be another round of Congress-NCP meeting on Thursday after Congress leaders get feedback from Mrs Gandhi.