In an attempt to arrive at a solution, incumbent Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet Union Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday, while NCP chief Sharad Pawar will also be meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital.
While political wrangling over the formation of government in Maharashtra continues even 11 days after the assembly poll verdict gave enough numbers to the BJP and the Shiv Sena, the parties are unable to bury their differences over power-sharing. The delay is now resulting in churning out of various speculations about likely political re-alignments.
For the record, the Sena on Sunday escalated its rhetoric with senior leader Sanjay Raut claiming the party would soon have its chief minister with the support of "170 MLAs". Raut also took sharp barbs at the BJP, Fadnavis, and exuded confidence that the impasse will end soon and a new government will be in place. On the other hand, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray did not commit any deadline to the formation of the government.
Meanwhile, Raut has also confirmed that he will meet the Governor today and request him to invite the single largest party to form the government in Maharashtra. "Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, along with other senior party leaders, is scheduled to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 5 pm," the office of Maharashtra Governor said on Sunday.
The development comes at a time when the BJP and the Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over the equal distribution of Cabinet portfolios and the term of chief minister's post for 2.5 years each.
While the BJP is firm on their stand that Devendra Fadnavis will become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena is seeking an equal term for chief minister's post.
In the recently-held polls, the BJP (105) and the Sena (56) collectively won 161 seats in the 288-member House.
(with inputs from agencies)