JAIPUR: Maharashtra Congress has left the decision of Congress Legislature Party leader to Sonia Gandhi, the interim president of Congress. It has also decided to not go with Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party on Sunday in Jaipur.
A line resolution was passed in the meeting. It was decided that Congress will continue its alliance with NCP.
Rajasthan remains the center of Maharashtra Congress politics. 40 Congress MLAs have camped in a private resort near Jaipur for fear of horse-trading.
Amidst the tense political tussle in Maharashtra for government formation, MLAs of Maharashtra Congress held a meeting on Sunday at the luxurious resort Buena Vista on Delhi highway 25 km from Jaipur in Rajasthan to discuss their strategy.
In the meeting that went on for one and a half hours, it was unanimously decided that Congress President Sonia Gandhi will take a call on the leader of the legislature.
Meanwhile, Mallikarjun Kharge, in-charge of Maharashtra Congress, PCC Chief Bala Saheb Thorath former CM Ashok Chavan and 40 other MLAs reached Jaipur.
Sources say the remaining 4 are also expected to be in the city by Sunday.
On the other hand, Congress MLA Nana Patole also questioned the functioning of the Governor of Maharashtra as soon as he walked out of the resort.
Congress leader Vijay Vadettivar said, 'The high command will decide the strategy ahead. We have come to Jaipur to roam in pleasant weather after the election'. Sources say the Congress legislature leader would be decided after Ahmed Patel’s briefing of the Party President. Ahmed Patel is due to reach the Pink City and take stock of the situation.
After the meeting, the MLAs left for Ajmer, checking out Pushkar's Brahma Temple and Dargah.
Though no formula has evolved between BJP and Shiv Sena, yet the BJP has received an invitation from the Maharastra Governor to form the government. Afraid that in such a volatile situation, BJP could poach on its MLAs, the Congress (Congress) is considering all options to keep its flock of legislators united so as to keep the BJP away from power.
This is the reason that for the last two days almost all the Congress MLAs of Maharashtra have been kept in pleasant confines of the Buena Vista Resort in Jaipur. Obviously, Congress may be far from power in Maharashtra, but it is aware of the deteriorating relations between BJP and Shiv Sena.
And it is clear from this exercise that though Congress cannot form a government in Maharashtra, yet it does want to collaborate with the NCP to help the Shiv Sena form the government.
Probably, Congress desire to keep BJP away from power is in a way trying to settle scores for its embarrassments in Manipur, Goa and Karnataka.
According to sources, Congress MLAs will be kept in Rajasthan until President's rule is announced in Maharashtra.
The security around the Bueno Vista resort on Delhi Road was tightened even before the legislators arrived with many police personnel deployed by the state government.