Taking a leaf out of the old United Progressive Alliance guide book, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress in Maharashtra are formulating a Common Minimum Programme based on, which the duo is expected to form a government with the Shiv Sena in a lead role.

On Tuesday, the Centre placed Maharashtra under Presidential rule. But still, the NCP and Congress have not given up hopes of forming a government in the State. In the party circles, it is hoped that a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) will be the adhesive, which will hold all the three parties together.

Internal committees

Since Wednesday morning, a series of meetings were held between the leaders of all the three parties. It is understood that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had met Maharashtra Congress President Balasaheb Thorat, senior Congress leader Manikrao Thakare and Ashok Chavan at an undisclosed suburban hotel for charting a further course of action.

Both the NCP and Congress have also formulated internal committees for giving a shape to the CMP. Nawab Malik, Mumbai President of the NCP, told BusinessLine that the CMP will focus on employment generation, farmers’ welfare, women and child health and minority welfare. The finer details are in the works but the committees are trying to fast track it.

Malik is a key member of the CMP committee set up by the NCP leadership.

CM post

Sources in the Congress said that Shiv Sena will nominate its candidate as the Chief Minister for two and a half years, while each party will get 14 ministerial portfolios taking the number of ministers to 42.

In a display of solidarity, leaders of both the Congress and the NCP called upon Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut who was undergoing cardiac treatment in a suburban hospital on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, Raut was discharged after an angioplasty procedure.

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