It will be interesting to see where the Congress finally goes with this, especially since senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam had earlier warned against supporting Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
Congress leaders have not made a conclusive decision regarding the Maharashtra situation after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday at Sonia Gandhi's residence, sources said. The party has decided that all senior leaders of Maharashtra will be summoned to Delhi, where they will meet Sonia Gandhi at 4 PM. The final decision will be taken at that meeting, sources added. According to an update, the Congress leaders have left for Delhi
Earlier today, Congress had called for a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi's residence in Delhi, over the political situation in Maharashtra. Senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal, and Mallikarjun Kharge were present at the meeting.
After the CWC meeting ended, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We have called our Maharashtra leaders to Delhi for further discussions, the meeting will be at 4 PM."
According to updates, Congress has decided to support the minority Shiv Sena-NCP government, but it will take a call, on whether to join the government, at 4 PM after the Maharashtra Congress leaders meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. According to updates, after the Congress meeting, the NCP will also formally announce its decision at around 4:30 PM. A decision will be taken only after all three parties come to an agreement on the terms, NCP leader Nawab Malik said.
Political commentators have observed that Congress is likely to support the minority Sena-NCP government from the outside. It will be interesting to see where the Congress finally goes with this, especially since senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam had earlier warned against supporting Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Nirupam had on November 10 said that his party should refrain from any political experiment with the Shiv-Sena as it will prove fatal for the grand-old party. “Congress-NCP govt in Maharashtra is only an imagination. If we want to convert that imagination into reality, it won't be possible without Shiv Sena's support and if we take Shiv Sena's support, it will be fatal for Congress,” Nirupam told ANI.
As things stand now in the rapidly developing Maharashtra political scene, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is on Monday likely to stake the claim to form the government with support from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday invited Shiv Sena, the second-largest party in the assembly, to form the government after the BJP expressed its inability as it does not have the required number to reach the majority mark of 145.
However, the NCP has kept a few demands itself. The NCP has offered support to Shiv Sena if Uddhav Thackeray himself becomes the chief minister and severs ties with the BJP. The NCP has placed the Shiv Sena at stake - virtually asking the party to break ties with its pre-poll ally BJP and to quit the NDA alliance at the Centre.
Senior Shiv Sena leaders, too, are currently engaged in an 'urgent' meeting at party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence. Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Anil Desai, and Eknath Shinde are present at the meeting, according to sources.
Follow LIVE updates of Maharashtra political situation here.
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