Amid Maharashtra impasse, Ahmed Patel meets Nitin Gadkari

Mumbai, Nov 06: Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Wednesday met Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari amid deadlock over Maharashtra government formation.

The Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat met Gadkari at his office and raised the requirement of road and infrastructure in his state.

While he pointed out certain delays in infrastructure projects, he also took up the demands of improving road projects in Gujarat, according to the sources.

The sources also indicated that no politics was discussed during the meeting.

On the other hand, in a letter to Bhagwat, Sena leader Tiwari said the RSS chief should take a serious note of the situation and intervene to end the deadlock over government formation in Maharashtra. He said people were worried over the Sangh's "silence" on the issue. "Gadkari will be able to resolve the situation within two hours," Tiwari said, when asked about his letter to Bhagwat.

In the 288 member house, the BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis has the clear support of 105 MLAs. He is likely to stake a claim to form the government in the next two days with the support of the independent MLAs.

The Shiv Sena has said that it enjoys the support of 175 MLAs. Sanjay Raut said that the party would not budge on its 50:50 demand. He also hinted that support from the Congress and NCP for the Shiv Sena is also a possibility.