Sena in talks with Cong-NCP, no headway yet into govt formation

16:56 November 14

Sonia, Pawar expected to meet soon to decide on govt formation

According to sources, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar are expected to meet soon to chalk out a decision on the prospective alliance with Shiv Sena for government formation in Maharashtra.

Sources said that the Shiv Sena is still adamant on its 50:50 formula, which leaves NCP-Congress with 2.5 years to handle the top post in case the three parties form a government.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel is expected to soon submit a report to Sonia Gandhi on the talks with Shiv Sena and NCP

11:58 November 14

Kapil Sibal slams Centre for President's rule in Maharashtra

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday slammed the Centre for the imposition of President's Rule in Maharashtra.

"I do not have an experience like Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He has enormous experience in breaking governments. We have seen in Goa and Karnataka how they toppled the governments," Sibal said while clarifying why Congress has been alleging that President's rule in Maharashtra was imposed for horse-trading.

"We are not experts in this, it is Amit Shah who knows how and where to keep MLAs, which hotel needs to be booked. We express our concern because we have seen their conduct in the past," he said.

Sibal further pointed out the differentiation in the time limit given to BJP, and Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

"Maharashtra Governor gave the BJP two weeks time to form the government. He should have told BJP to prove the majority in four days. But he made us wait for so long to impose the President's rule and gave just 14-18 hours is incorrect," the Congress leader said.

Responding to the Supreme Court's decision which allows 17 disqualified MLAs to contest Karnataka by-polls, he said: "After the apex court's judgement, it does not mean horsetrading was not there. They should contest elections and citizens should decide what is wrong and right."

He said if the Karnataka leaders are joining the BJP then there must be 'some reason' behind it.

11:55 November 14

As Sena talks to Cong-NCP, Raut says will not get defeated

Amid the Shiv Sena's efforts to form government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and Congress, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday posted a message on Twitter to assert that they would neither get defeated nor be afraid.

"Ab haarna aur darna manaa hai..," the Rajya Sabha member and Sena's spokesman tweeted, a day after he was discharged from the city-based Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent an angioplasty procedure on Monday.

The 57-year-old firebrand Sena leader also tweeted a motivational Hindi couplet, saying, "Haar ho jaati hai jab maan liya jaata hai, jeet tab hoti hai jab thaan liya jaata hai" (defeat happens when one accepts it, victory happens when one is determined).

07:41 November 14

Maha Assembly Polls: Bharatiya Janata Party to hold party meetings in Mumbai

Mumbai: The BJP would be holding meetings of its MLAs, district-level office-bearers as well as unsuccessful Assembly poll candidates here from today.

The participants will interact with leader of the party's legislative wing Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, a party leader said.

The BJP's Maharashtra in-charge Saroj Pandey will also be present, he added. The meeting of newly-elected MLAs will take place on Thursday, while that of district-level leaders and office- bearers will take place on Friday.

"The third day is reserved for BJP candidates who could not win assembly elections along with some who had rebelled during the elections. Many of them have expressed their willingness to stay with the party. Fadnavis and Patil will interact with them as well," he said.

Local elections which are slated to take place at various places in the state next year would also be discussed, he said.

The BJP, which won 105 seats in the October 21 state polls, failed to form a government after falling out with ally Shiv Sena over sharing of chief minister's post.