New Delhi, November 18: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday gave another twist to the ongoing political tussle in Maharashtra. Contrary to his earlier statement, Pawar told media that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena had an alliance in Maharashtra, so they have to choose their path. He said, “BJP-Shiv Sena fought together, we (NCP) and Congress fought together. They have to choose their path, and we will do our politics.” Maharashtra Government Formation: Sena-NCP-Congress Govt Will Complete 5-Year Term, Says Sharad Pawar.

The NCP chief is scheduled to meet Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra on Monday at 5 pm. Earlier on Friday, Pawar had said that  Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government would be formed and it will complete five-year term as he ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls in Maharashtra. Maharashtra: Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress Hold First Joint Meeting, Common Minimum Programme.

Sharad Pawar;s Statement:

Pawar’s statement came at a time when NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are working together to draft a Common Minimum Programme (CMP). The first draft of the CMP was sent to Uddhav Thackeray, Gandhi and Pawar for their approval.

The state is witnessing a political stalemate since October 24. Though the BJP and Shiv Sena fought the assembly elections together, but the alliance fell apart after the saffron party refused to accept demands of its warring ally for equal power-sharing. The President's Rule has been imposed in the state as no political party has got the required figures to form the government.

In the 288-member assembly, the BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 105 seats. While the Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats. The NCP and the Congress clinched 54and 44 seats respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2019 01:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).