Maharashtra's wait for a govt enters thirteenth day

Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir has summoned Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal to Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to break the logjam over the formation of the government in the state, an official here said.

Chavan and Bhujbal will meet Jamir separately, the official said.

Though there is no fixed agenda for the two meetings, it is expected that the governor may advise them to take steps to form the new government immediately.

"However, it's too early to say whether there will be a swearing-in programme today," the official said.

It has been 13 days since the results of the October 13 elections were declared but there has been no progress towards the formation of the new government.

The two ruling parties--Congress with 82 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 62 seats in the 288-member assembly--are locked in a bitter squabble over the sharing of portfolios in the new government.

While the NCP has stuck to its demand for implementing the 1999 power-sharing formula, the Congress is in no mood to oblige its partner.

Both parties have adopted an uncompromising stand on the issue of certain key portfolios like home, finance, power, agriculture, urban development and public works.

The NCP has even threatened to offer only outside support to the new government if the Congress does not go by the 1999 formula.

Last week, Ajit Pawar of the NCP had said that after the 2004 elections, even though NCP had 71 seats compared to 59 of Congress, it agreed to accept the post of deputy chief minister and allowed Congress to retain the chief minister's post.

"At that time, to keep the CM's post, the Congress offered us (NCP) four extra ministries and three departments," he pointed out.

This time, the Congress is insisting on keeping the crucial departments, including those held by the NCP in the previous government.

Sensing a kill, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena (BJP-SS) have given an ultimatum for the government formation till Tuesday, failing which they would demand imposition of President's rule in the state.