Sonia Gandhi holds meeting of party MPs in Parliament, declines to comment on Maharashtra impasse

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday refused to comment on the progress being made in the formation of a new government in Maharashtra.

Her response came as Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut exuded confidence that a government led by his party will be in place by next month in Maharashtra.

He said the picture will become clear in the next two days.

"No comments," Gandhi said in Parliament House when reporters posed questions on the political situation in Maharashtra.

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Gandhi presided over a meeting of party's Lok Sabha MPs to discuss Parliament strategy.

The strategy has been made to counter the central government during the Winter Session of the Parliament over the economic slowdown, inflation, agrarian distress, Kashmir issue, detention of political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir and unemployment among others.

Earlier, the party has decided to hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 30 on the issue of the economic slowdown.

The Winter Session of Parliament began on November 18 and will continue till December 13.

President's rule was imposed in Maharashtra on November 12 amid a stalemate over government formation after the assembly polls last month.

In the October 21 Maharashtra polls, the BJP-Sena saffron alliance won 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member assembly.

The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, bagged 44 and 54 seats respectively.

However, failing to evolve a consensus over the chief minister's post, the two saffron parties parted ways, with the Sena exploring the possibility of tying up with the Congress-NCP.