Sena, NCP, Congress To Visit Maharashtra Governor Today; Sharad Pawar, Sonia Gandhi To Meet On Sunday

Sena, NCP and Congress are having talks for the formation of the non-BJP government in the state where the President's Rule was imposed earlier this week.

Amid political crisis in Maharashtra, a delegation of all the three parties - Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress - is set to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday.

New Delhi: Amid political crisis in Maharashtra, a delegation of all the three parties - Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress - is set to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday. However, the three parties have maintained that the meeting is regarding to seek immediate aid for rain-affected farmers and not about government formation. The delegation will meet the Governor at Raj Bhavan around 4 pm, as per the sources. The three-party coalition is a new experiment in Maharashtra involving outfits with diverse ideologies. They are having talks for the formation of the non-BJP government in the state where the President's Rule was imposed earlier this week. They have already prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP) for a coalition government. As per sources, the CMP has been sealed - Shiv Sena will get a full-term chief minister while Congress and NCP will get to appoint one deputy chief minister each from their ranks. The common minimum programme also mentions focus on farmer, youth issues and measures to tackle unemployment. Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar will meet on Sunday to discuss the next course of action about government formation in the state, even as the BJP has claimed it has support of 119 MLAs and would form the next government. Watch | Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress leaders to meet Maharashtra Governor today Amid reports that a Shiv Sena-led coalition is taking shape, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Congress in-charge for Maharashtra, said that his party alone cannot take decisions about government formation in the state. "Congress alone can't decide things. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and AICC president Sonia Gandhi will sit together on November 17 and discuss the next course of action. They will decide how to solve this problem. After that only the other actions will follow," Kharge told news agency ANI. He said that once they both sit and discuss, only then will the political strategy be prepared. "That will be followed and implemented," he said. The BJP, meanwhile, has claimed that it would form the government. However, the party has not disclosed how it would cobble up majority figure of 145 in the 288-member house. On the other hand, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said that BJP is the single largest party and with the support of Independents, the tally reaches 119. "With this tally, BJP will form the government," Patil said addressing a press conference.