'Wait and watch policy for BJP': Sudhir Mungantiwar on Maharashtra government formation

Mumbai: Left in the lurch after Shiv Sena parted ways and is making all-out efforts to join hands with NCP-Congress for the government formation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to adopt a stance of "wait and watch" amidst the political crisis in Maharashtra. The party held its core group meeting on Monday to discuss the political situation.

"The BJP core team meeting has concluded. The political situation in the state was discussed in the meeting. On its basis, BJP is taking the stand of 'wait and watch'," said senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar here on Monday.

On the other hand, senior leaders of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress will meet on Tuesday to mull on the prospects of forming a non-BJP government in the state with the Shiv Sena.

"NCP and Congress will have a meeting on November 12 to decide about Shiv Sena, many senior leaders from both the parties will be present in tomorrow's meeting," said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Monday.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday asked Pawar to indicate willingness and ability of NCP to form the government in Maharashtra. The development came after Shiv Sena, which is keen to have its chief minister in the state, did not get additional time from Governor to submit letters of support from the NCP and the Congress. The Governor, instead, called the NCP, which finished third in the assembly polls, and asked it to indicate its willingness to form the government in the state.

The Shiv Sena insisted on getting the post of chief minister for two-and-a-half years but the BJP said there had not been any such understanding between the two parties ahead of the polls. Shiv Sena emerged as the second-largest party in the polls and got 56 seats.

Both the NCP and the Congress held meetings in the morning over the developments as the Shiv Sena expressed its desire to form a non-BJP government.

The NCP made it clear that it will not make a decision without its ally Congress spelling out its stance. The NCP has 54 MLAs in the assembly while the Congress has 44.

On the other hand, the Congress Working Committee discussed the developments in Maharashtra and decided to have a meeting with its leaders from Maharashtra before taking a decision.

However, at the end of deliberations, the party issued a statement which talked of further consultations with the NCP and made no mention of the Shiv Sena.

BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party in Maharashtra assembly polls with 105 seats, declined to form the government following differences with Shiv Sena on sharing power.

The NCP has 54 MLAs while its alliance partner Congress has 44. If Shiv Sena, which has 56 legislators, gets the support of NCP and Congress, it will easily cross the majority mark of 145 in the 288-member assembly.