Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday is learnt to have consulted her senior party colleagues A.K. Antony, Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and K.C. Venugopal over the issue of government formation in Maharashtra and sharing power with the Shiv Sena.
The meeting comes a day after her meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at her residence, and concerned ironing out the creases before a formal announcement regarding a new coalition is made.
The Congress will hold talks with the NCP to finalise the draft common minimum programme (CMP), and Mr. Patel, Mr. Kharge and Mr. Venugopal would work on it.
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The party wants finalisation of the CMP before an official announcement is made, and wants the core political agenda of the possible alliance spelt out, said sources.
The NCP had deputed Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil to work out modalities before a final decision can be taken.
Though the first term of the chief ministership is likely to go to Sena, the NCP is reported to be pushing for a rotational arrangement. The Congress could get the Speaker’s post and one of the two deputy CM’s posts that is being talked about.
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