Maharashtra Stalemate: Fadnavis to Meet Amit Shah, Sharad Pawar to Meet Sonia Gandhi
Two central figures in Maharashtra’s government formation deadlock, BJP chief ministerial pick Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, were set to travel to Delhi on Monday as neither the BJP nor the Shiv Sena showed signs of softening. Pawar was to meet Sonia Gandhi at her home, while Fadnavis was to see BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The deadlock
Sources said that while the Fadnavis-Shah meeting was officially about drought relief for farmers, the main subject would be the impasse. The two saffron allies had failed to agree on power sharing for 10 days since the assembly results came out on October 24. The Sena insisted on sharing the chief minister’s post, while the BJP said it had never made such a promise. Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray were both visiting drought-hit areas, and back-channel talks were expected to restart after their return.
Signals to the NCP
On Sunday the Sena appeared to warn the BJP by reaching out to the NCP. Speculation grew when Ajit Pawar of the NCP showed journalists a text from Sena MP Sanjay Raut containing a formal introduction and greetings. The former deputy chief minister said, “This means I should call him.”
The NCP has publicly said it will sit in opposition, but on Saturday Sharad Pawar met party leaders behind closed doors in Mumbai to consider forming a government with the Sena. Under that idea, an NCP-Sena government would get outside support from the Congress. Sources said many Congress leaders, including 40 of its 44 MLAs, supported the plan, but Sonia Gandhi was reported to be hesitant, fearing an alliance with the Sena would damage the party’s secular image.
What happened next
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance broke, and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena became Chief Minister in November 2019 with support from the NCP and the Congress.
See also: Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena.
Originally published on 4 November 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.
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