Sena MLAs asked to carry official IDs at Friday meeting

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has asked its MLAs to carry with them their official identification documents while coming for a key meeting of the party here on November 22, said a Sena leader on Wednesday.

The direction for bringing IDs has been given to deal with a situation where the MLAs are required to be presented before Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, he said.

The meeting has been convened at ‘Matoshree’, the family residence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Bandra, the leader said.

The saffron party has 56 MLA-elects.

Besides MLAs, senior Sena leaders will also take part in the meeting which is expected is discuss the current political situation in Maharashtra and the party’s efforts to form a government with support from the Congress and the NCP.

Two days ahead of the Sena meet, leaders of the NCP and the Congress on Wednesday expressed confidence of forming a “stable” government in Maharashtra in the coming days.

After a marathon meeting of senior leaders of the two parties at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi, former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the alliance is hopeful of ending the spell of political uncertainty in the state and working to provide a stable government.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik, who joined Chavan at a press conference after the meeting, was categorical in indicating that the two parties will join hands with the Shiv Sena for government formation in Maharashtra, which is currently under President’s rule.

The combined tally of the Sena (56), the NCP (54) and the Congress (44) is way above the majority mark of 145 in the 288-member house.