Swabhimani Paksha Says Will Decide On Joining Shiv Sena-led Alliance After CMP Is Announced

Swabhimani Paksha leader Raju Shetti on Monday said that his party will decide on joining a prospective Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition in Maharashtra only after they declare their common minimum program (CMP) to run the government. "My party will decide on joining the new alliance after it declares its common minimum programme for government formation in Maharashtra," said Shetti, whose party has one MLA in Maharashtra.

The Congress and NCP, who fought the Maharashtra elections together, are in talks with the Shiv Sena to form the non-BJP government in the state. The three parties have recently said that they have prepared a draft of the common minimum program which is to be approved by their high command.

The statement from Shetti came hours after a meeting between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. After the talks, Pawar said the two parties will talk with their allies in Maharashtra before taking a decision on joining Shiv Sena to form the government in the state.

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Addressing a press conference, Pawar said he briefed Gandhi about the political situation in Maharashtra and that there was no talk on government formation in the state. "We have discussed in detail the political situation in Maharashtra," he said. "We will keep an eye on the situation in Maharashtra. Congress and NCP leaders will hold further talks on the future course of action," he added.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is in talks with ally Congress for a possible coalition with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena after the latter’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell apart over the chief minister’s post in Maharashtra.