Big announcement on Maharashtra govt formation to be made on Friday

Mumbai, Nov 21: The NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress are likely to stake a claim to form the government in Maharashtra by November 30.

The three parties following a series of meetings agreed in principle to form a stable government in Maharashtra. An announcement to this effect would be made on Friday. The NCP's Nawab Malik said that all aspects regarding the formation of the government were discussed. It was decided that no stable government could be formed without the three parties. In principle the three parties have decided to join hands and form a stable government which will last the full five years, he also said.

The chief minister's post in Maharashtra is most likely to be on a rotational basis, with the first half of the five-year term to be given to the Shiv Sena and the latter to the Nationalist Congress Party, NCP sources said.

The Congress is likely to have the deputy chief minister's post for the full term, they said.
A senior NCP leader said the fight between the Shiv Sena and the BJP was over the issue of chief ministership for two-and-half years each.

"So, the question of the Sena enjoying the full five-year term does not arise. The second half will have a chief minister from the NCP," the leader said.

However, Congress sources said the issue of chief minister's post was not discussed in Wednesday's meeting.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told reporters that the chief minister of the state will be from his party, but parried question on whether the Sena would hold the post for five years.

NCP leaders also cited the slim margin in the number of seats between the two parties.

In the October 21 Maharashtra polls, the BJP-Sena saffron alliance secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member assembly. The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.

NCP sources also added that the smaller parties which had allied with the Congress-NCP coalition are also on board to having a tie-up with the Shiv Sena.

The Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha (1), Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (3), Samajwadi Party (2), CPM (1) and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) - who had allied with the Congress-NCP - have also expressed their willingness to join the coalition.