NCP may demand sharing CM post in Maharashtra

Hours after President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra, allies Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) launched formal talks on Tuesday and said they will soon finalise a formula for sharing power in a Shiv Sena-led state government, sources said.

The NCP wants the chief minister’s post for two-and-a-half-years, half the government’s term, a person familiar with the developments said. The demand could be a major hurdle in the three parties reaching an agreement on the sharing of power.

A day after the Shiv Sena did not get an expected letter of support from the Congress and NCP and minutes after President’s Rule was imposed in the state, leaders of the Congress and NCP met in Mumbai to work out a power sharing formula and common minimum programme.

Congress’s organisation general secretary KC Venugopal, along with other senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, and Ahmed Patel, reached Mumbai in the evening.

They held a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the YB Chavan Centre for around one-and-a-half hours.

Congress and NCP leaders said after the meeting that a decision on supporting Shiv Sena to form a government will be taken once they arrive at an agreement.

Ahmed Patel said, “There will be discussions between Congress and NCP over the common minimum programme and other issues first before discussing it with the Sena. The decision over supporting Sena to form the government will be taken once we arrive at an agreement over the policies and programmes of the government to be formed.”

The leaders also discussed equal sharing of ministerial berths among the three parties.