NCP chief Sharad Pawar to meet PM Modi on Wednesday to discuss farmers' distress amid Maharashtra political crisis

Image Courtesy: Twitter/@PMOIndia

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will on Wednesday meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss farmers' crisis in Maharashtra amid the intense political situation in the state after no party was able to win a majority in the elections. 

Their meeting is scheduled to take place at 12.40 pm and is also likely to be attended by Shiv Sena MPs. 

The PM Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre fought the Maharashtra election in alliance with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena. However, the two parties broke-up days after the results were announced due to a bitter tussle over power-sharing in the state. Sena wanted to share power with the BJP, the single-largest party in Maharashtra, under the 50:50 formula and a rotational CM. However, the BJP rejected the demand.  

The meeting between PM Modi and Pawar comes at a time when the NCP is chalking out strategies to form a non-BJP government in Maharashtra with its ally Congress and Shiv Sena too is pinning its hope on these two parties to get power. 

The top leaders of NCP and Congress are scheduled to meet later on Wednesday to finalise the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the formation of a coalition government in Maharashtra. The two sides will also chalk out their strategy vis-a-vis government formation in Maharashtra along with Shiv Sena.

Sources claim that the Congress and the NCP are willing to support the Shiv Sena to form the government but the two parties are yet to give any concrete assurance to Sena.

Maharashtra is currently placed under President's Rule. 

In October's election, BJP finished as the single-largest party after winning 105 seats, the Shiv Sena ended at the second place after registering victory on 56 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. The NCP and Congress won 54 and 44 seats, respectively.