Uddhav Thackeray Meets Sharad Pawar At Midnight Over Maharashtra Government Formation

The over an hour-long meeting took place at Pawar's residence 'Silver Oak' in South Mumbai as the Shiv Sena continues its effort to form government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress.

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The Thackerays called on Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, after he arrived here from New Delhi in the evening. The Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut was also present at the meeting.

However, no Congress leader was present at the meeting.

"Since it was a meeting between top leaders, only they will know what transpired there. But the discussion is likely to have revolved around giving final touches to sharing of posts in the government being planned to be formed," an NCP leader said.

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The meeting took place on a day when Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said in New Delhi that his party and the NCP have "complete unanimity" on all issues concerning government formation in Maharashtra and will now hold talks with the Shiv Sena to "finalise the architecture of the alliance".

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The discussions will now move to Mumbai where the Congress and the NCP will hold deliberations with their other pre-poll allies -- Peasants Workers Party, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Paksh and CPI(M) -- and then with the Sena, Chavan told reporters after another round of talks between senior leaders of his party and the NCP in the national capital.

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Sources said the three parties are likely to make a formal announcement on Friday about joining hands to take a shot at power in the state.

Uddhav Thackeray will address a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders on Friday during which he is expected to deliberate on the party's line of action in the backdrop of the three main non-BJP parties making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, a party leader said.

(PTI)