JOIN USNCP now offers 'outside' support
On Tuesday, Governor S C Jamir stepped in to end the deadlock, but there was no headway as both the constituents of the ruling coalition –– the Congress and the NCP –– stuck to their respective stands on power sharing. The outgoing assembly’s tenure ends on Wednesday.
As the negotiations have gone into a blind alley, an exasperated NCP legislature party leader and deputy chief minister-designate Chhagan Bhujbal offered outside support to the Congress to form the government, till the resolution of the dispute.
On Tuesday, the governor summoned care taker chief minister Ashok Chavan, who has been re-elected as the Congress legislature party leader, to discuss the issue.
Chavan briefed Jamir about his party’s position and left Raj Bhavan without meeting mediapersons.
After a short while, Bhujbal and NCP state president R R Patil met the governor.
Bhujbal met reporters later and accused the Congress of adopting “delaying tactics” in forming the new government.
Bhujbal said if the Congress does not agree to the power-sharing formula decided in 1999, which is in favour of the NCP, then it would offer “outside support” instead of joining the ministry.
“I informed the governor that our letter of support is ready, it is up to the Congress to take the initiative in forming the government,” the NCP leader said.
Since 1999, when the Congress and the NCP formed the coalition government, the chief ministership always remained with the Congress irrespective of the numbers it had, while key portfolios like home, finance, public works and power were with the NCP.
From a financial point of view, the NCP controls ministries with a budgetary support of Rs 19,500 crore out of the state’s annual budget of Rs 33,500 crore, while the Congress is left with only Rs 14,000 crore. Now, the Congress is desperate to have some of the key portfolios like home and rural development. It also wants more ministries.
NCP to be in govt, says Praful
As confusion prevailed over the formation of a new government in Maharashtra, NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel clarified on Tuesday that his party would certainly be a part of the Congress-led ministry in the state, reports DHNS from Mumbai.
He, however, asserted that the deadlock over power sharing must be resolved first and added that his party would stick to the 1999 formula on the allocation of ministries.
“We will definitely be joining the government,” Patel told a news conference here later in the day.