NCP’s two-CM formula stalls talks with Cong

The parties also disagree over seats that must be exchanged after both inducted sitting Independent legislators.

The NCP Tuesday caught the Congress off guard by demanding that its candidate be the chief minister of Maharashtra for half of the five-year term if they win next month’s Assembly polls. The idea has prolonged the deadlock over seat sharing between the allies who have ruled the state since 1999.

This is the first time the NCP has made such a demand, a senior Congress leader said. The Congress camp feels that this demand is a bid by the NCP to secure more seats from its ally. “The NCP will be solely responsible if ties are snapped,” said Congress state party president Manikrao Thakre.

While the Congress says it is willing to give up more seats than the 124 it has formally offered to the NCP, talks got deferred following NCP’s formula for splitting the state’s top job. While another round of meetings was scheduled late Tuesday evening, NCP leaders said formal talks would resume only after an internal party meeting Wednesday.

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NCP leaders privately admit the party had decided to climb down from its original demand for allocation of 144 seats (out of 288) and was willing to settle for 134, but the Congress poll committee chief Narayan Rane said the ally remained adamant on 144 during formal talks Tuesday.

The parties also disagree over seats that must be exchanged after both inducted sitting Independent legislators. Although they are willing to swap four seats each, the Congress has conveyed its inability to leave the Navapur and Malegaon Assembly seats in North Maharashtra.

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