Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, on Monday, reached out to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking the grand old party's support to form government in Maharashtra.
Thackeray spoke to Sonia Gandhi over the phone. The call reportedly lasted for seven minutes.
The Sena is the second largest party in the 288-member house with only 56 MLAs after the BJP. The saffron party, which is the single largest party in the state, had decided against staking claim to form government for want of adequate numbers.
Determined to form government in the state without its long-term ally BJP, Sena has reached out to both the Congress and the NCP. An official communication from both these parties is yet to come. The Shiv Sena has time till 7.30 pm on Monday to stake claim
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Given the stalemate in the state, the role of the Congress and the NCP is crucial. The NCP, which won 54 seats—10 more than Congress in the state elections—said it had a pre-poll alliance with the grand old party, and so the decision on formation of a "non- BJP" government will be taken only after an official communication from the Sonia Gandhi-led party.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had said it is the responsibility of "all of us" to give an alternative considering the plight of people in the state. "Once we receive an official communication from the Congress, the decision will be announced jointly," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
