Congress meet to firm up Maharashtra stand as BJP, Sena stand-off lingers

The discussions in the Congress gathered momentum after the state leaders met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Thursday.

A high-level meeting of the Congress on Maharashtra political developments is scheduled in Delhi on Friday even as Shiv Sena issued yet another warning to the BJP, its ally of 30 years, saying that if Sena wanted, it could get the required numbers to form the government in the state.

Maharashtra Congress leaders will meet party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday to discuss the political situation in the state even as allies BJP and Shiv Sena continued to spar over government formation , a week after election results were declared. (PTI)

The discussions in the Congress gathered momentum after the state leaders met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Thursday. “Soniaji and Pawarsaheb have already spoken on the issue early this week. When the state leaders met Pawarsaheb, he directed them to get the nod from the party high command on the issue. Congress may informally give its nod to Shiv Sena to form the government and support from outside,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP are at loggerheads since the October 24 assembly election results with the former insisting on a 50-50 power sharing formula. The BJP, which contested the state elections in alliance with the Shiv Sena, had emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats in the 288-member assembly. Sena, was the second largest with 56 seats. The Congress has 44 MLAs and the NCP 54. A strength of 145 is needed for a simple majority.

Among those expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday are former chief minister Ashok Chavan, state president Balasaheb Thorat and five working presidents. This follows a meeting on Thursday where former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, Ahmed Patel and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot were present. The meeting was held on the sidelines of a programme to pay tribute to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.

“I have already made it clear that there should be a government in place in the state in the wake of crop loss due to the heavy rainfall and other problems the citizens are facing. As far as the support to the Shiv Sena is concerned, there should be a firm proposal from them for it. We will put it before our central leadership for approval. Our meetings with Soniaji are to apprise her about our performance in the Assembly polls and nothing more should be read out of it,” Prithviraj Chavan told HT on Friday.

Former Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, however, feels that the Congress should keep itself away from the BJP-Shiv Sena fight over power tussle. “It is a fight to grab more ministerial berths by the Shiv Sena. Congress should not get into the drama. How can some Congress leaders think about supporting Sena,” Nirupam tweeted.

Former chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde too has said that Congress cannot back Shiv Sena to form the government. “Congress should not get into this unholy alliance with the party like Shiv Sena. ”