'NCP will wait for Congress' decision on lending support to Shiv Sena'

Mumbai, Nov 11: With the deadlock over government formation continuing in Maharashtra, NCP leader Nawab Malik on Monday said it is the responsibility of "all of us" to give an alternative considering the plight of people in the state. Malik, however, said the NCP will take any decision in consensus with its ally Congress in the evening. He also said that communication was going on between the Shiv Sena and NCP.

Amid talks that the NCP and Congress may support the Shiv Sena in forming the government, Malik told reporters here that there is a need to reach a consensus on "certain big issues" while working out a common minimum programme. "It is the responsibility of us all to give an alternative given the plight of the people and farmers. We are expecting a decision from Congress. If there is a consensus, we will proceed towards government formation," the NCP spokesperson said.

Malik, however, said the NCP will not proceed with its decision till the Congress leadership takes a call on government formation in the state. The Congress' top leaders will hold parleys in Delhi at 4 pm on Monday. "We will take a decision based on their decision. We will take decision together as he fought the election in the alliance," Malik said.

"Our party is ready to give an alternative. But we have maintained right from the beginning that any decision be taken together with the Congress," he said. With the Uddhav Thackeray-led party making efforts to reach out to the NCP, Malik said, "The communication from the Shiv Sena is on. It was there earlier too, it is on even now. But until Congress takes any decision, we will not take any decision." Ahead of the NCP's core committee meeting in the morning here, senior party leader Praful Patel said they have not taken any decision yet on the ongoing impasse.

"The BJP and Shiv Sena fought polls in alliance. They got the majority, we (Congress and NCP) didn't. In the changing political scenario, it is not an easy question as to who should form the government with whom," he said. "We have not discussed anything with anyone. (NCP chief) Pawar Saheb said there is no discussion...we have not made any decision yet," he told reporters here.

The BJP, which is the single largest party in the state with 105 seats, on Sunday decided against staking claim to form the government for want of adequate numbers.

The governor then invited the second largest party Shiv Sena, which has been at loggerheads with the BJP over sharing the chief minister's post. The Shiv Sena won 56 seats in the October 21 state polls, while the NCP and Congress bagged 54 and 44 seats, respectively.

While the Shiv Sena has been making efforts to reach out to the NCP and the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led party on Sunday said the Sena will have to walk out of the NDA first. Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant, the lone party minister in the Modi Cabinet, on Monday, announced his decision to quit the NDA government.