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There could be two chief ministers on a rotational basis in Maharashtra, sources told PTI on Wednesday. The report said Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena would get the position for the first half while the latter half will go to Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sources also indicated deputy chief minister post for Congress for the full five-year term.
A senior NCP leader said the fight between the Shiv Sena and the BJP was for over the issue of chief ministership for two-and-half years each.
"So, the question of the Sena enjoying the full five-year term does not arise. The second half will have a chief minister from the NCP," the leader said.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told reporters that the chief minister of the state will be from his party, but parried question on whether the Sena would hold the post for five years.
Senior leaders of the Congress and the NCP met on Wednesday to deliberate upon their future course of action in Maharashtra. The meeting took place at the residence of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Prithviraj Chavan, K C Venugopal and Balasaheb Thorat attended the meeting. Those representing the NCP included Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and Nawab Malik.
After the marathon meeting of senior leaders, the Congress-NCP alliance gave its most categorical indication about joining hands with arch rival Shiv Sena with former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan expressing confidence of forming a stable government soon in the state.
In the October 21 Maharashtra polls, the BJP-Sena saffron alliance secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member assembly. The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.
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