Now that the demand of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been fulfilled by the Shiv Sena to walk out of the NDA first before the NCP can think of lending support to the Uddhav Thackeray-led part and that the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant had resigned from the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet on the directions of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, he accompanied by his son Aditya called on Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, ostensibly seeking the latter’s support to form the government in Maharashtra, here on Monday.

The three of them met privately in a room at suburban five-star hotel in Bandra. Other leaders like NCP’s Ajit Pawar and Dilip Walse-Patil and Sena’s Sanjay Raut were also present at Hotel Taj Land’s End, according to news agency IANS.

According to sources, It is understood that Thackeray sought the NCP’s support during the meeting with Sharad Pawar to help cobble up a viable state government within the evening deadline set by Governor BS Koshyari.

The meeting lasted for about 45-minutes and the two leaders also talked about the ‘common minimum programme’, as well as the farmers’ crisis, said sources.

Earlier, the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari invited Shiv Sena to form the government in Maharashtra after BJP declined the offer saying that it did not have required numbers to stake claim of the government, the Shiv Sena looking to take the helms of Maharashtra with the support of the Congress and NCP.

Now NCP has come out in support of Shiv Sena and earlier in the day NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik on Monday said it is the responsibility of “all of us” to give an alternative considering the plight of people in the state amid talks that the NCP and Congress may support the Shiv Sena in government formation.

Anushakti Nagar MLA Malik, however, said the NCP will take any decision in consensus with its ally Congress in the evening. He also said that communication was going on between the Shiv Sena and NCP.

NCP though is saying it will not proceed with its decision till the Congress leadership takes a call on government formation in the state. Amid reports that the Congress is likely to give outside support to the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, the grand old party has called a second meeting to take a final call on the issue, today at 4 pm.

All eyes are now on Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the party’s decision to prop up a Sena-led government in the state after consultations with the state party unit leadership.

(With inputs from IANS)