The tenure of the 11th state legislative assembly comes to an end on Tuesday but due to a stalemate over ministry allocations between alliance partners, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a caretaker government will continue to rule the state.
The government formation problem, meanwhile, will be solved by the powers-that-be in the capital. After a series of meetings on Monday failed to break the deadlock, the Congress, it is learnt, had proposed to kickstart the process by having chief minister-designate Ashok Chavan and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal take their oath of office on Tuesday. However, that plan was rejected by the NCP which said the swearing-in can take place only after the differences are settled.
Anant Kalse, principal secretary of the state legislative assembly, said, “There is no requirement that the government must to be sworn in by Tuesday. In the wake of a delay, the caretaker government will continue.”
Chavan, on Monday, held discussions with senior leaders namely Union industries minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, state industries minister Narayan Rane, parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil and MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre at his official residence, Varsha, at Malabar Hill.
At the end of a marathon meeting, Thakre said, “We have ascertained the developments between the Congress and the NCP, and have briefed the same to the high command in Delhi.”A senior minister present at the meeting said, “The mood within the party is that ‘we should teach the NCP a lesson, we cannot allow them to dictate terms on portfolio swapping’.”
The NCP has even withheld the letter of support required to be forwarded to state governor SC Jamir, to initiate the process of government formation. A senior NCP leader showed DNA the typed letter.
“Our differences are not related to just division of portfolios or numbers of ministers. It is a matter of principle. Why should Congress insist on altering the 1999 formula?” state NCP chief RR Patil said.
The NCP president and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who was seen watching the India-Australia match at Mohali, has left it to Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel to resolve the crisis. Patel left for Delhi on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, Union defence minister AK Antony, who is also the AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, will be in Kerala for most of this week. Congress sources said that “it is up to Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel to take the talks forward with Praful Patel”.
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