According to reports, all the MLAs of the Shiv Sena have been asked to be at the Matroshree premises tomorrow at around 10:30 am. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will speak to all the MLAs and then they would be either shifted Rajasthan or Maharashtra's Mahabaleshwar or Lonavla. Currently, Congress and NCP, sources said, are discussing the possible names to be inducted in ministerial berths.
A recent update states that a meeting will take place between Sena, Congress and the NCP at 9 am on Friday to decided the further course of action. Post that, Congress will conduct an internal meeting in the evening to finalise the leader of the party in Legislative Assembly.
"Congress and NCP have completed discussions on all issues. There is complete unanimity. Tomorrow in Mumbai, we will have meeting with our other alliance parties. Later in the day, we will have discussion with Shiv Sena," Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan told reporters.
Earlier today, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was held at party interim president Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence. Several senior leaders including Malikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, AK Antony and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had attended the meeting.
"We have apprised the CWC members of the latest political situation in Maharashtra. Today, Congress-NCP discussion will continue. I think, tomorrow, we will probably have a decision in Mumbai," Congress leader KC Venugopal told reporters after the CWC meet.
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Sources said that during the course of Wednesday's meetings, the Congress and NCP leaders also held talks with Shiv Sena leadership over the phone and got a positive response. They also added that as part of the coalition government, a sharing formula of 2.5 years each between the Shiv Sena and NCP for the chief minister seat has been approved while Congress will be given the deputy chief minister's seat.
Speaking to ABP News, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that chief minister of Maharashtra will be from his party and also claimed that the government will be formed before December. He also said that it is most likely we would go to Raj Bhawan to stake claim to form the government on Satuday. "Maharashtra is most likely to get a government on Saturday, Raut said denying the reports of rotational CM agreement will NCP and Congress.
According to sources, distribution of ministries would be done with a calculation of one minister for every four MLAs. This means, Shiv Sena which has 56 MLAs will get 14 ministries, NCP which has 54 MLAs will get 14 ministries and Congress which has 44 MLAs will get 11 ministries. Remaining 3 ministries will be equally divided amongst the three alliance partners.
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Maharashtra came under President's Rule on November 12 after all the parties failed to form a government in the state. The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, could not stake claim to form a government as its ally Shiv Sena remained firm on rotating the Chief Minister's post and equal sharing of Cabinet berths.
Shiv Sena parted its ways with BJP to explore ways to form a government. It, however, failed to prove the support of the required number of MLAs in the time given by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The Governor had then invited NCP, the third-largest party, to prove its ability to form the government failing which President's Rule was imposed in the state. The Shiv Sena is now holding talks with the Congress and NCP to form a government in Maharashtra. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44.