Raut meets Pawar, exudes confidence about Sena-led govt in Maharashtra

New Delhi, Nov 18: Hours after the meeting between NCP president Sharad Pawar and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi here to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut met the Maratha strongman and exuded confidence that the state would soon get a government led by his party.

Talking to reporters after meeting Pawar at his residence here, Raut said he told the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief that he should lead a delegation of state leaders and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the farm distress in Maharashtra due to unseasonal rains.

"Since he (Pawar) was the Union agriculture minister and is also a senior leader, he should lead a delegation of leaders and meet the prime minister to apprise him about the farmers' woes in the country," Raut said.

Asked whether there were talks on government formation in Maharashtra, he parried the question, but exuded confidence and said, "The state will soon get a Sena-led government."

Earlier in the day, Pawar's meeting with Gandhi lasted nearly 50 minutes. Talking to reporters, Pawar queered the pitch for the Shiv Sena in the formation of a new government in Maharashtra, saying the issue was not discussed and remained non-committal as regards forging an alliance with his political rival.

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 won 44 and 54 seats respectively. However, the saffron parties parted ways, with both staking claim over the chief minister's post.