Pawar meets Modi as Maha govt formation gathers momentum

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament over farmers' distress in Maharashtra, even as the Congress and the NCP stepped up momentum on forming the government in the coastal state.

Results of the October 21 assembly polls were declared on October 24 and President's rule was imposed in the state on November 12 after no party or combine staked claim to form the new government.

The meeting between Pawar and Modi at the prime minister's chamber in Parliament took place amid talks between the NCP, the Congress and the Shiv Sena for an alliance.

Two days ago, Modi praised NCP MPs for their decision to not enter the Well of the house during proceedings.

"Due to President's rule in the state, your urgent intervention is highly necessitated. I shall be grateful if you could take immediate steps to initiate massive relief measures to ameliorate distressed farmers," the three-page memorandum given by Pawar to Modi said.

“Met @PMOIndia Shri. Narendra Modi in Parliament today to discuss the issues of farmers in Maharashtra. This year, the seasonal has created havoc engulfing talukas in Maharashtra, causing heavy damage of crops over 54.22 lakh hectares of areas. To take stock of this unprecedented situation and address the concerns of distressed farmers, I had visited Nashik and Vidarbha in the first half of November," Pawar tweeted.

This year, the returning monsoon devastated almost every standing crop in major parts of Maharashtra, he said.

There were few takers for Pawar's emphatic denial of any political discussion having taken place during his meeting with Modi.

NCP and Congress leaders met in the evening at Pawar's residence in Delhi to discuss how to partner with the Shiv Sena, the long-term BJP ally which recently ended its alliance with the ruling party over a power tussle in

Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters in the national capital, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut exuded confidence that a government led by his party will be in place in the state by next month.

He said the picture of the government formation in the state will become clear in the next two days.

"We are inching towards the government formation. The picture will become clear in the next two days and a popular government led by the Shiv Sena will be in place by December," he said.

Asked about the meeting between the NCP and Congress leaders in Delhi on Wednesday, Raut said there will be a "full stop to it", implying that the two parties have almost completed their discussions on the government formation in the state.

Senior leaders of the Congress and the NCP held talks in New Delhi on Wednesday with a focus on firming up the modalities for taking a shot at government formation in Maharashtra.

Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Prithviraj Chavan, K C Venugopal and Balasaheb Thorat attended the meeting. NCP leaders Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and Nawab Malik were also present.

Meanwhile, amid ongoing parleys between the NCP and the Congress over government formation in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has called a meeting of all its MLAs and senior leaders in Mumbai on November 22, a party leader said.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will address the meeting which 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.