Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, the chief negotiator of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for government formation in Maharashtra, met NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday.
Mr. Patel, who was on a two-day trip to Turkey, met Mr. Pawar at his residence, sources said. The Minister left for Delhi after the meeting.
The process of government formation remains deadlocked. While the NCP wants to stick to the 1999 formula of equal sharing of portfolios, the Congress, which has bagged 20 more seats than the NCP, wants to retain key portfolios of Home, Finance, Power and Rural Development. It is also eyeing the post of the Speaker. The coalition partners, who came back to power for the third consecutive term, have broadly agreed to a 22:20 formula, sources said.
Keywords: Congress, NCP, Maharashtra polls, assembly elections, Praful Patel, Sharad Pawar
