Power-sharing impasse continues in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The stalemate between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena over the powersharing formula in Maharashtra continued on Saturday, even as the BJP expressed confidence that it would form the government with its saffron ally by November 6.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar held a closed-door meeting with his party leaders in Mumbai to tap the possibility of forming an alternative government with the Sena. Pawar has asked his party leaders to talk to Sena and independent legislators to see if an alternative NCP-SENA government, backed by outside support of the Congress, was feasible, people familiar with the development said. Pawar is scheduled to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday. Congress leaders from state called on Gandhi on Friday and suggested that the party should support any move to keep the BJP out of power if Sena was willing to go with NCP.

“State Congress leaders met Pawarsaheb last week and urged him to take initiative for a nonbjp government in the state. Pawar had asked them to get a nod from their party leadership first. We have started talking to all non-bjp elements. However, an alternative government is possible if Uddhav Thackeray is willing to walk out of the alliance with

BJP,” an NCP leader said on condition of anonymity.

A BJP functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity, however said that an informal communication between the two saffron allies is likely to resume after the weekend, when both chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray return to the city after touring villages affected by unseasonal rains in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.