Sharad Pawar held a 45-minute meeting with Sonia Gandhi at her home in Delhi on Monday. (File)
Deadlock over Maharashtra government formation continues with no signs of an early resolution after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar said he discussed the Maharashtra political situation with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi but not government formation or any common minimum agenda. Sharad Pawar held a 45-minute meeting with Sonia Gandhi at her home in Delhi on Monday evening.
"We have to sort out some more issues, we have not discussed forming an alliance with any party yet," Sharad Pawar said after the meet.
The NCP chief also rubbished speculation that he had left the door open for a tie-up with the BJP; the BJP won 105 seats in the Maharashtra polls and scored a comfortable majority with the Shiv Sena (56), which has since walked out of their alliance after a bitter power tussle. The NCP, with 54, is only two seats behind the Sena.
A day after meeting Sharad Pawar, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut today said that a strong and stable government led by his party will be formed in Maharashtra soon.
Here are the Highlights on Maharashtra government formation:
NCP-Cong meeting postponed, to be held tomorrow: Nawab Malik
The meeting between leaders of Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that was scheduled to be held today, has been postponed to Wednesday, due to former prime minister Indira Gandhi's 102nd birth anniversary, NCP leader Nawab Malik says.
"Yesterday, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting. It was decided earlier that leaders from both parties will have a meeting later. That meeting was to be held today. But, today's meeting between the leaders of the two parties has been postponed till tomorrow afternoon as Congress leaders are busy in different programmes due to Indira Gandhi Ji's birth anniversary," he says.
Shiv Sena MPs went to sit in Opposition: Pralhad Joshi
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has rejected Shiv Sena's criticism that he had shifted their MPs to the opposition benches in the Parliament. "We did not make them sit in the opposition, they did it themselves."
Ram Das Athawale should focus on himself: Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut
Slamming Union minister and RPI leader Ram Das Athawale for trying to negotiate a three-year and two-year term as Chief Minister in the state between BJP and Shiv Sena, Sanjay Raut says: "He is a Minister of State in the central government. He should focus on himself and not worry about Shiv Sena."
He says that there is a consensus across party lines that the President's rule should end in the state.
"I talked about the formation of government in the meeting with NCP leader Sharad Pawar yesterday. There is a consensus across party lines be it Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress or BJP that a government should be formed in the state," he adds.
Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra soon: Sanjay Raut
A day after meeting Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says that a strong and stable government led by his party will be formed in Maharashtra soon.
"A Shiv Sena-led government will be formed in Maharashtra soon. It will be a stable, strong and effective government. We want Uddhav Thackerey to lead the government," he says.
The Shiv Sena-led government will have the support of 170 MLAs in the assembly, he adds.
"Shiv Sena is the largest party in the country. We have 18 MP and we are going to form a government in Maharashtra. We don't need anyone's interference. We will have the support of 170 MLAs on the floor," Mr Raut says.
Shiv Sena hits out at BJP
Shiv Sena hits out at former ally BJP for removing them from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and making their MPs sit in the opposition side in both houses of the Parliament.
In its mouthpiece Saamna, Shiv Sena says: "BJP leader Pralhad Joshi has announced Shiv Sena's removal from the NDA after it allied with Congress and the NCP in Maharashtra to form the government in the state. The Shiv Sena MPs were allotted seats on the opposition side in both houses of parliament. Those in the BJP who took this decision do not know about work done by Shiv Sena."
"When the BJP came into existence no party used to support it. When NDA was formed many leaders who are now holding posts in the present government were not holding any posts then and some of them were not even born," the editorial says.