Maharashtra: Congress-NCP leaders meet with alliance partners in Mumbai

With discussions between NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress underway for a government formation in the state, a meeting is underway between Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and other alliance partners, in Mumbai.

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, Raju Shetty of Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan are leaders attending the meeting. RPI faction led by Jogendra Kawade is being represented by its founder.

Ahead of the meeting, Congress leader Manikrao Thakre on Friday cleared that the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra will be from Shiv Sena.

"It is almost final that the next Maharashtra Chief Minister will be from Shiv Sena," Thakre said while speaking to media reporters.

Being asked about the speculation of Nationalist Congress Party to share Chief Minister Post for 2.5 years with Shiv Sena, he said: "The NCP has never demanded the position of Chief Minister."

Earlier, the sources have said that chief minister's post in Maharashtra will be shared on a rotational basis, with 2.5-year term to be given to the Shiv Sena and the latter to the NCP.

The Congress is likely to have the deputy chief minister's post for the full term, they said.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar also stated that a meeting of Congress, NCP leaders and allies parties is underway to work out final modalities and their role in the "Maha Vikas Aghadi" (NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena) government in the state.

"Meeting is still on. We will tell about it later. All big leaders from Congress will come for a meeting which will be conducted with Sena and NCP at 4 pm," he said.

According to the leaders of Congress and NCP, a Common Minimum Programme to run the alliance government has been worked out after a series of meetings and several rounds of discussions. They also told that power-distribution among the allies would soon be finalised in a couple of meetings.

Shiv Sena parted its ways with BJP 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 state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

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

The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44.