A senior NCP leader said the government is likely to be formed before the first phase of the Jharkhand polls scheduled on November 30.
A Nationalist Congress Party minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra announced on Friday that a law will be enacted to give five per cent quota to Muslims in education, but a senior Shiv Sena minister said later that no such decision had been taken.
Regarding alliance with the Congress, the Sena's political rival till recently, Raut said leaders of the country's oldest party have contributed to freedom struggle as well as development of Maharashtra.
The two parties have maintained right from the day of assembly poll results (October 24) that they will sit in opposition.
'The Congress-NCP is a declining force while we are a rising force.'
Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Gopinath Munde on Thursday said rebellion in the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance might work in favour of the saffron combine.
Terming the opposition parties as "shameless", the PM also slammed them for objecting to the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir being raised during campaigning by BJP leaders for the Maharashtra assembly polls.
Modi said during the Congress-led regimes, terror attacks and bomb blasts would take place in Mumbai 'any time' and its coastline had become 'entry point' for terrorists.
The future challenger to Narendra Modi would be somebody who can bring the Hindus and Muslims together again. The Hindus as Hindus, not broken caste groups, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Ahir said he had no grudge against the NCP. "But some unavoidable political decisions had to be taken considering the prevailing situation," he said.
According to the predictions made by National Congress Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, the newly formed Republican Left Democratic Front will threaten the prospects of Congress-NCP in the October 13-poll to the Maharashtra Assembly.
'Pawar had made it very clear that investigation into the case of judge Loya was possible'
Exit polls by two television channels on Tuesady projected that Maharashtra's ruling Congress-NCP alliance will emerge victorious in the Assembly elections and one of them predicted Congress victory in Haryana.
The newly expanded Maharashtra council of ministers has several leaders from political families.
Alarmed by damage made by Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has chalked out a campaign strategy which would focus on making people realise that voting MNS is akin to voting for Congress-NCP.
NCP MLAs have been moved to Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz and Sofitel in Bandra-Kurla Complex
Thackeray said not a single tree leaf will be cut till further developments.
Taking to Twitter, Modi said, "Congratulations to @Dev_Fadnavis Ji and @AjitPawarSpeaks Ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra."
The Nationalist Congress Party, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, on Friday won Aurangabad and Pune graduates' constituencies of the state Legislative Council.
"People have asked us to sit in the opposition. The thought of trying to get into power doesn't even cross our minds. We will work to expand our base," he further said.
Sharpening its attack on MNS chief Raj Thackeray over his agitation against toll collection, the Shiv Sena said it had "predicted" the outcome of today's stir.
A first information report has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya for allegedly assaulting and threatening an inspector inside a police station in suburban Mulund, the police said on Monday.
"Maharashtra has got nothing to do with Kashmir? Soldiers from Buldhana sacrificed their lives for the protection of Kashmir. Opposition doesn't feel national issues are important," he said.
Shah said it was a matter of happiness for his party that a descendent of the Maratha king has joined it and asserted that Bhosale's presence will help it in the upcoming assembly elections.
The NCP is in talks with its ally Congress for a possible alliance with the Shiv Sena, after the Sena's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party fell apart over the chief minister's post.
Most of the 40 MLAs in the Shinde camp don't have enough legislative experience to conduct business in the House and so the first ministry expansion needed induction of veterans.
The 57-year-old Rajya Sabha member and Shiv Sena's spokesperson, who underwent an angioplasty procedure on Monday, has been tweeting from his hospital bed over the current political situation in Maharashtra.
'People have asked us to sit in the Opposition.'
Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom drama accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra. 'While the Congress is insisting upon equal power sharing structure among all the three parties, the NCP is of the opinion that ministries should be distributed based on the number of MLAs belonging to each of the three parties.' Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom room accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra.
The agency, which placed the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader under arrest last night after a marathon grilling session on Monday, will seek his custody for further interrogation.
The alliance won 41 of the 48 seats leaving the Congress-NCP combine with just 5 seats.
If there is unity in the Opposition, it is only about regional parties other than the DMK not wanting Rahul Gandhi or any other Congress leader for prime minister, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil (both from the NCP), Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (both from the Congress), Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai (both from the Sena) took oath as ministers along with Thackeray.
'We will do whatever is necessary when the day and moment arrives.' 'As a party which has ruled Maharashtra for most of its existence, we also have our base and turf to protect.'
Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers on Monday went on the rampage, vandalising toll plazas in different parts of the state following their leader's diktat not to pay the levy and "thrash" those who raise a voice against it.
"It is a serious matter. The home minister should resign, the Maharashtra government should resign and there should be a CBI inquiry into the whole issue'
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told the media after a meeting at party chief Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence that that the CWC was briefed on the discussion between NCP and Congress on Wednesday.
Former Maharashtra home minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader R R Patil, 57, who was undergoing treatment for oral cancer passed away on Monday afternoon.
The dramatic swearing-in of BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar as his deputy was preceded by days of talks between key party leaders and the junior Pawar, who was facing probe in corruption cases being investigated by central agencies.
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party is in neck-and-neck race with BJP for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi while BJP-Shiv Sena combine has a clear edge in Maharashtra, a pre-poll survey has predicted.
