NCP chief Sharad Pawar briefs media on political situation in Maharashtra

New Delhi, Nov 18: After holding talks with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Monday said the two parties will hold talks with their allies in Maharashtra before taking a decision on government formation in the state.

Addressing a press conference, Pawar said he briefed Gandhi about the political situation in Maharashtra and that there was no talk on government formation in the state. "We have discussed in detail the political situation in Maharashtra," he said.

"We will keep an eye on the situation in Maharashtra. Congress and NCP leaders will hold further talks on the future course of action," he added.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is in talks with ally Congress for a possible coalition with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena after the latter's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell apart over the chief minister's post in Maharashtra.

"Sharad Pawar met the Congress President today and briefed her on the situation in Maharashtra. It was decided that in a day or two, representatives from NCP and Congress will meet in Delhi to discuss the way forward," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet.

The meeting took place at Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence here and lasted for about 50 minutes. Congress and NCP leaders have held a series of meetings in the last few days to finalise the modalities for a Sena-led government in Maharashtra.

Ahead of his meeting with Gandhi, Pawar said all political parties seeking to stake claim to form the government in Maharashtra had to "choose their own paths". Maharashtra was placed under the President's rule on November 12 after no party or alliance staked claim to form government in the state.

Pawar's meeting with the Congress chief comes a day after the NCP's core committee held a meeting in Pune and resolved that the President's rule should end and an "alternative government" be formed in Maharashtra.

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