After weeks of negotiations, the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress seem to have cleared the obstacles that hindered the three parties from joining hands and forming government in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut said letters of support from the MLAs of all three parties will be handed over to the Governor on Saturday. A joint meeting of the Sena, NCP and the Congress will take place in Mumbai to finalise the alliance. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP's Sharad Pawar are likely to join the meeting for discussions on power sharing.
Congress's top decision-making body met at party chief Sonia Gandhi's home this morning to discuss the possibility of being part of the government in the state. Sources say Sonia Gandhi was advised to "go ahead" with the Maharashtra alliance, despite her reservations, and told that the "greater enemy, in order to fight communalism, is the BJP". Final talks may take place in Mumbai.
Sena's Sanjay Raut, who has been the face of the party over the last weeks, later gave a rough time frame, saying the state could have a government after the negotiations are over in "two to five days".
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi had been reluctant to join hands with the Shiv Sena, which has for years targeted the party and maintains a pro-Hindutva stand.
Shiv Sena fell out with long-time ally BJP after the two won the Maharashtra election together.