Mumbai: Leaders of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena held meetings here on Thursday to discuss a ‘common minimum programme’ before a possible alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for government formation in Maharashtra.
A draft of the common minimum programme (CMP) will have to be approved by top leaders of the three parties before being finalised, a senior Congress leader told PTI. “Leaders of the allies Congress-NCP and the Shiv Sena held several parleys to work out a consensus on a common agenda of governance which will be called the CMP,” he said.
However, unlike the frenzy and buzz in political circles during the last few days, the meetings on Thursday were held in a discreet manner. NCP MLA and former state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday told mediapersons that a scheduled meeting between his party and the Congress was cancelled and that he was going to Baramati, triggering speculations about possible differences between the allies.
However, later NCP chief Sharad Pawar told reporters that his nephew Ajit Pawar made the remarks to avoid media. An NCP spokesperson later said the meeting was on. “The Congress and NCP leaders had to lie on Wednesday to keep the media at bay. Now secrecy is being maintained,” a leader said on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut dismissed rumours that Thackeray had a meeting with senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Tuesday in Mumbai. The Congress and NCP on Wednesday deliberated at their respective party levels and later jointly to work out a CMP and power-sharing formula, the former state chief minister said. (PTI)
