Shiv Sena to lead three-party alliance govt, says NCP

The first-ever Shiv Sena- NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra appears to be taking shape with Sharad Pawar on Friday expressing confidence that the government of the three parties will last a full term.

The NCP also said that the Sena, which fell out with the BJP over chief minister's post, will lead the alliance.

A delegation of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena is set to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday, but the three parties maintained that it was for seeking immediate aid for rain-affected farmers, and was not about government formation.

The three-party coalition, a new experiment in Maharashtra involving outfits with diverse ideologies, will be led by the Sena, leaders in the Uddhav Thackeray-party and the NCP said, marking a progress in power-sharing negotiations.

They have already prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP).

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will be formed, and it will complete five-year term as he ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls in the state which is currently under President's rule.

"There is no possibility of mid-term polls. This government will be formed and it will complete five years. We all will ensure this government runs for five years," the NCP chief said in Nagpur.

In Mumbai, NCP's chief spokesman Nawab Malik said the chief minister's post will go to the Shiv Sena.

"The chief minister will be from the Shiv Sena. It walked away from the 'Mahayuti' (the Sena-BJP alliance) on the issue of chief minister's post. It is our responsibility to respect its sentiment," Malik said.

At a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, leaders of the Congress, NCP and Sena prepared the draft CMP, which will be forwarded for approval to top leaders of the three parties.

The BJP, meanwhile, claimed that it would form the government, without disclosing how it would cobble up majority figure of 145 in the 288-member house.

Addressing a press conference, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, "BJP is the single largest party, and with the support of Independents our tally reaches 119. With this tally, BJP will form the government."
Asked if the Sena will give up its demand for the Bharat Ratna for Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar and accept quota for Muslims, Raut evaded a direct reply and said, "We know the source of such speculation."