In a major development in the nearly-month-long political drama in Maharashtra, the Congress Working Committee on Thursday agreed to go ahead with forming a coalition government with the Shiv Sena and NCP.
Congress sources told PTI that the CWC meeting on Thursday, which involved party chief Sonia Gandhi, took the decision to proceed with government formation. The sources added that the Congress and NCP would hold meetings again on Thursday night and would convene a "final meeting" with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai on Friday. The decision on government formation in Maharashtra will be announced in Mumbai on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, a key figure in the political deliberations, claimed that a "final decision" on formation of a new government in Maharashtra would be taken in the "next two days". Raut added there were "no plans" for a meeting between Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray this week.
Interestingly, the Congress Working Committee decision came after reports on Wednesday night claimed the word 'secularism' had become a sticking point between the Congress and Shiv Sena.
Multiple media outlets reported that the Congress was insistent that a commitment to secularism be included in the common minimum programme that the Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP have been drafting as the basis for a proposed alliance. The Hindu reported that the Shiv Sena was "equally firm" on avoiding the inclusion of secularism in the common minimum programme.
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The Hindu reported NCP chief Sharad Pawar had suggested that the CMP "simply refer to abide by the Preamble of the Constitution that includes secularism".
On Wednesday night, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had announced that the NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress had come to an agreement in principle to form a coalition government in Maharashtra and were "trying our best to resolve issues". The talks on Wednesday between the Congress and NCP involved discussions on Hindutva, a core ideology for the Shiv Sena.
Speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Delhi on Thursday, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal declared Congress and NCP leaders would continue discussions. He added, "I think, tomorrow (Friday), we will probably have a decision in Mumbai."
