Amit Shah has assured me that BJP, Shiv Sena will form the govt in Maharashtra: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

Amid the ongoing political stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday claimed that Home Minister and BJP President Amit Shah has assured him that the party will form the government in the state with Shiv Sena and 'everything will be fine'. 

"I told Amit bhai (BJP President Amit Shah) that if he mediates then a way can be found out to which he (Amit Shah) replied "don't worry, everything will be fine. BJP & Shiv Sena will come together to form government", he told news agency ANI.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale: I told Amit bhai (BJP President Amit Shah) that if he mediates then a way can be found out to which he (Amit Shah) replied "don't worry, everything will be fine. BJP & Shiv Sena will come together to form government". #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/JMIPnQJsuM

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2019

Athawale's remarks come just three days after Shah questioned Shiv Sena why it remained silent when the BJP projected Devendra Fadnavis as the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance before the recently held Assembly elections in Maharashtra. “Now they (Shiv Sena) have come up with new demands that are not acceptable to us,” he had said.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), party leader Nawab Malik on Sunday said that the President's Rule in Maharashtra should end and an alternate government should be formed.

"We have decided that the next decision will be taken only after a discussion with Congress. Tomorrow, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Pawar Sahab will hold a meeting and day after tomorrow leaders of both the parties will meet," he told the media.

On Monday, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is set to meet Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi to discuss the next course of action pertaining to the Maharashtra political crisis. Both the leaders are likely to take the final call on the draft Common Minimum Programme (CMP) agreed upon between NCP, Congress, and Shiv Sena for the proposed coalition government in Maharashtra.

President's Rule was imposed in the state last week after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's report to Centre that no stable government was possible in Maharashtra under the current political scenario.

Shiv Sena and BJP contested the recently-held assembly elections together but failed to reach an agreement for government formation. The Shiv Sena's demand of 50-50 government formula, asking for the chief minister's post of two and half years, was not accepted by the BJP.