Pawar wants Uddhav to break away, first

Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar on Monday gave an open invite to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to break away from poll ally Bharatiya Janata Party and then talk about support of the Congress and his party to a Shiv Sena government.He threw the ball in Thackeray's court, noting that no word has come from him seeking any kind of support, thus keeping formation of the government in limbo even 10 days after the results.

Pawar spoke to reporters at his residence immediately after talking to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday evening but said he has nothing much to say. He said they took no immediate decision and he is returning to Mumbai on Tuesday to hold further consultations with his NCP colleagues; this will be followed by a second round of talks with Sonia.

There was no word from the Congress on what the presidents of the two parties discussed.In reply to questions, Pawar said they did not discuss the exact formulation of a non-BJP government because no offer has come thus far from the Shiv Sena.He underscored that he has not discussed anything with the Shiv Sena and the offer for formation of government has to come from its head Uddhav Thackeray. It means he gives no importance to Sena MP Sanjay Raut's utterances after trips to his Mumbai residence.

Pawar said the BJP and its allies have the numbers to form the government and so it is their responsibility to form one. What the BJP and the Sena do is their internal issue and he does not know when this suspense will end, he said in reply to a question.He repeatedly made it clear that no assurance has come from the Shiv Sena on the formation of the government. Asked if he expects the Sena to break away from the BJP, if it does not get the CM's post, Pawar shot back: How can I talk on behalf of Shiv Sena?All he can state is that the Shiv Sena has developed a strong dislike for the BJP since the poll results were out and its mouthpiece has been writing against the BJP.

In reply to a question, he said: "The mandate given by the people to the NCP is to sit in the opposition but you cannot speak about future." He, however, responded with an emphatic "no" when asked if he could come back as the Maharashtra CM. Asked if the Sena was engaged in a "bargaining game" with the BJP to extract the maximum, Pawar said: "I think the game between the two is quite serious."The combined strength of the saffron alliance is 161, as against the half mark of 145 in the 288-member Assembly. So far the BJP has refused to yield to Sena's pressure tactics, rejecting its claim for the post of the chief minister and 50:50 share in the ministry. The NCP has won 54 seats and the Congress 44 and as such their support can put Sena in the driver’s seat as their combined strength will be 154, nine more than the half mark. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who has been the party's main striker against the BJP in the standoff, met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari around the same time Pawar and Sonia were holding discussions in Delhi. "We presented our case to the Governor and explained we are not responsible for the confusion. We are not stalling government formation. Whoever has the majority will form government," Raut told reporters.