The Congress and the NCP failed to arrive at a mutually acceptable power-sharing formula for the alliance's government in Maharashtra on Saturday. The issue of who will take over as the next chief minister in the state remained open. And the post-win bonhomie between the two partners all but evaporated giving way to a mixture of bitterness and anger.
The day started with a high power Congress meeting at 10 Janpath. Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh, Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad met Sonia Gandhi to work out a Congress proposal for the NCP.
By the afternoon, the scene had shifted to Mukherjee's Talkatora Road residence. Here, the NCP's Praful Patel and the Congress' Margaret Alva joined in and each side made its case. At 5.30 p.m. Patel emerged, and hotfooted to Sharad Pawar's home on Janpath, while Alva said that the talks were "positive" and that the Congress hoped the government would be formed "in two days".
Patel reported the proposals discussed earlier to Pawar. And then darted back across to Mukherjee's place, where a meeting was scheduled at 7 p.m. This time, Sushilkumar Shinde was also called in.
It was a very short meeting. In less than seven minutes Patel was out. His body language suggested things hadn't gone well. And Shinde, who's called 'hasmukh' for his perpetual smile, was doing anything but.
{{/usCountry}}It was a very short meeting. In less than seven minutes Patel was out. His body language suggested things hadn't gone well. And Shinde, who's called 'hasmukh' for his perpetual smile, was doing anything but.
{{/usCountry}}If further evidence of a collapse in the negotiations was required, it was on Sharad Pawar's face. Pawar was furious. The Congress had offered "no proposals" at all, he said. He wanted the 1999 formula followed in full. But this was evidently not acceptable to the Congress.