Maharashtra latest news: As Shiv Sena, National Congress Party and Congress continue deliberations over finalising a common minimum programme before a possible formation of government in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had made its intentions clear over the CM post. Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson, told reporters in Mumbai on Friday that the party hopes to have its CM for the next 25 years.
“We want a Shiv Sena CM for the next 25years. Why should we think of just 5 years? We are here in Maharashtra and we will always be with the state,” Raut said in an early morning press conference.
“We have been in state politics since 50 years and will be in power now. Whether there are two parties or 25 (in an alliance), the government will work as per the common minimum programme only. Parties which are with us now have good experience of governing the state and this will be good for Maharashtra,” Raut said.
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Sena, NCP and Congress leaders held a lengthy meeting in Mumbai on Thursday to work out the CMP and also finalise the sharing of ministries. The CMP will now be approved by the top brass of the three parties before the new alliance stakes claim to form government in Maharashtra where President’s Rule was imposed earlier this week.
Sources said NCP chief Sharad Pawar is likely to meet interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on November 17 to discusss the draft CMP.
The saffron alliance of BJP and Shiv Sena secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member Assembly. However, with Sena insisting on sharing the CM post and BJP not yielding, the nearly 30-year-old partnership between the two parties fell apart. Shiv Sena is now trying to form government with the NCP and Congress which have 54 and 44 seats respectively.