Mumbai/New Delhi: As the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders ended their talks with each other about joining hands with the Shiv Sena in New Delhi on Thursday, the focus of government formation has now shifted to Mumbai. The leaders of the two parties will meet Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, after which all three parties will announce their decision on government formation.
Prior to this, Uddhav will hold a meeting of his own party MLAs at his residence “Matoshree” on Friday morning. The MLAs were asked to come prepared to stay for a few days in Mumbai, which indicates the party is getting ready to stake claim for government formation.
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that his party and the NCP had completed discussions on all issues in New Delhi. “We will discuss with the other allied parties on Friday and then with the Shiv Sena before making the announcement of a grand alliance in Mumbai. The announcement of the common minimum programme will clarify all the details of the new government. Only after all issues are discussed and cleared by the three parties, we will meet the governor to stake claim to form the government,” he said. Before the talks start with the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP will hold deliberations with its pre-poll allies — Peasants Workers Party (PWP), Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Paksh and CPI(M).
Sources indicated that the proposed alliance will be called “Maha Vikas Aghadi”. The Congress is not in favour of a rotational chief minister; instead it prefers two deputy chief ministers.
Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut too indicated that a new government in the state will be formed before December. “A final decision on it will be taken in a day or two,” he added.
In an indication that the Sena is planning to soften its hardcore Hindutva stand, Mr Raut said the country and its Constitution was based on secularism. “When we accept that, then you don’t distinguish between farmers, the unemployed. Chhatrapati Shivaji took care of every religion and caste. So Maharashtra does not have to import new ideas. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had publicly advocated that oaths sworn on religious books in courts should be stopped and replaced by the Constitution. So don’t teach us the meaning of the word secular,” Mr Raut said.
Earlier, Thursday began with a Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi, where its members were apprised of the discussions held between the Congress and the NCP on Wednesday.
