NCP-Cong reach consensus; meeting with Sena, decision on alliance today

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Thursday appeared headed for a non-BJP dispensation with Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan asserting that his party and the NCP have “complete unanimity” on all issues concerning government formation and will now hold talks with the Shiv Sena to “finalise the architecture of the alliance”.

The discussions will now move to Mumbai where the Congress and the NCP will hold deliberations with their other pre-poll allies -- Peasants Workers Party, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Paksh and CPI(M) -- and then with the Shiv Sena, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister told reporters after another round of talks between senior leaders of his party and the NCP. Sources said the three parties are likely to make a formal announcement on Friday to join hands to take a shot at power in the state. The three parties are then likely to send separate letters to the Maharashtra Governor mentioning their decision to come together to form a government, said a source.

On Friday, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will address a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders which is expected to deliberate on the party’s line of action in the backdrop of the three main non-BJP parties making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, a party leader said. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel,

Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal will go to Mumbai on Friday for a meeting with the Shiv Sena and the NCP on the modalities of government formation, sources said. “The NCP and the Congress have completed discussions on all issues. There is complete unanimity on all issues,” Chavan told reporters. “Decision will be taken tomorrow in Mumbai on what the architecture of the alliance will be,” he said, adding the announcement of the Common

Minimum Programme will clarify all the details of the new government. He further said that only after all the issues are discussed will the alliance move towards staking claim to form the government.

NCP sources said the CM’s post is most likely to be on a rotational basis, with the first half to be given to the Sena and the latter to the NCP. The Congress is likely to have the deputy CM’s post for the full five years, they said.