Will form a stable government soon in Maharashtra, says Prithviraj Chavan after Congress-NCP meeting

Addressing a joint press conference with NCP leader Nawab Malik, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that the Congress-NCP has had long and positive discussions over government formation in Maharashtra and discussions over this matter will continue for few more days.

Pic courtesy: ANI

Amid the ongoing political powerplay and power tussle over government formation in Maharashtra, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday (November 20) said that his party is confident of providing a stable government in the state very soon.

Addressing a joint press conference with NCP leader Nawab Malik, Chavan said that the Congress-NCP has had long and positive discussions over government formation in Maharashtra and discussions over this matter will continue for few more days. Chavan expressed confidence that the Congress-NCP will be able to give a stable government to Maharashtra in alliance with Shiv Sena in the near future.

For his part, NCP leader Malik said that Congress and NCP have decided to give an alternative government in Maharashtra and it can happen only when NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena will come together. Malik stressed that the three parties are trying their best to resolve all issues and form a stable government in the state.

Chavan and Malik talked to the media after hours of closed-door discussions between Congress and NCP leaders at Sharad Pawar's residence in Delhi. The meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Prithviraj Chavan and Naseem Khan, while NCP was represented by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Sunil Tatkare.

Earlier on Wednesday (November 20), NCP MP Majeed Menon had said that interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi had given her approval to an alliance with Shiv Sena to form a coalition government in the state. Talking to Zee Media, NCP MP Majeed Menon said that Sonia Gandhi has approved a tie-up between Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena to form a coalition government in Maharashtra, which is currently under President's Rule.

Interestingly, the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested the October Assembly election in Maharashtra as allies and the two parties had got the simple majority to form the government with the BJP winning 105 seats and Sena 56 in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. But the two parties failed to form the government as Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded rotational chief ministerial post, a demand rejected by the BJP. The Congress and the NCP contested the election as allies with the NCP winning 54 seats, while the Congress bagged 44.