The Opposition Congress and NCP are working hard towards isolating the ruling BJP from the Shiv Sena and rest of the political parties in the State.
A day after former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said he foresaw some "interesting possibilities" about the changing political equations in the during the next 15 days and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that the "Sena can get CM's post", Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Balasaheb Thorat said on Friday that his party would seriously consider any proposal received from the Shiv Sena for the formation of a new Government in the State.
Talking to media persons, Thorat said that the Congress was not averse to forming a government with the Shiv Sena. "Our request to the Shiv Sena is to make up its mind to form a Government without our support. If we receive any proposal in this regard, we will consider it seriously," Thorat said.
On Thursday, Prithviraj Chavan had set the cat among the pigeons by saying: "The BJP has got lesser number of seats than it had expected. They were saying all things that they would get more 220/250 seats etc. They (BJP leaders) were even talking about forming the government on their own strength. If they want to form a Government now, they will have to give the Shiv Sena its pound of flesh. After the last elections, the NCP had offered unconditional support from the outside. As result, the Shiv Sena had no bargaining power at that time. That won't happen now".
"I do not rule out some interesting possibilities. Wait for 15 days. You will get now," he said. "We are talking to our allies. We know as to what are all the possibilities before us. We all will sit across whether to proceed in the matter or not," Chavan said, indirectly hinting at the exploring the possibility of extending support to the Shiv Sena from outside.
Another former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had also said: "The Assembly poll results have shown that the BJP can be kept out of power".
It is only NCP president Sharad Pawar who has not yet come around to extending support to the Shiv Sena either from outside and inside to form a new Government in the state.
"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," Pawar had said.
To another query, Pawar said: "We will not go with Shiv Sena. NCP-Congress and other allies will decide together, the future course of action."