Congress gives up DCM's post, settles for Speaker's

While a large section of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP wants Ajit Pawar who resigned with the parent party after joining a shortlived Devendra Fadnavis government to hold a prime position in the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVS government a tripartite arrangement has decided that there will be just one deputy chief minister DCM NCPs while the Congress would get the Assembly Speakers post and the Sena would have a chief minister CM for five yearsInsiders said the Congress has given up its claim to get the DCMs post in exchange for the coveted Speakers post The NCP will get the deputy speakers post CM candidate Uddhav Thackeray is to be sworn in on Thursday evening in a grand function at Shivaji ParkAjit may not take oathNCP leader Praful Patel said after the threeparty meeting that at least two members each from all partners would take oath with Uddhav There will be seven members including the CM taking the oath of office But he did not say whether Ajit Pawar or Jayant Patil who replaced the former as the leader of the legislative party leader would be made DCMSule welcomes Aaditya Thackeray at Vidhan BhavanBut sources said Patil would be the NCPs choice for the DCMs post Ajit may not take oath today and may come back later as he wants to stay away from positions of power for some time However sources said the distribution of portfolios between a 43member council of ministers hasnt been decided yet The Congress wanted the coveted DCM post while the NCP too had demanded it But the parties later settled for the speakers post and a DCMThe Congress has settled a tussle for the DCMs post within the party Not all senior leaders would want the Speakers post which is generally seen as a retirement package but it has emerged as very important in view of the 105member BJP opposition that will be led by exCM Devendra FadnavisLeaders shun mediaThe MVS took over four hours to discuss matters on Wednesday evening but the leaders went home without cracking a concrete deal They evaded media Some Congress leaders exited from the back doors of the venue YB Chavan Centre at Nariman Point Earlier in the day a threeparty meeting was also held at Sharad Pawars residenceState Congress president Balasaheb Thorat who was in the reckoning for the DCMs post said nothing was decided and the details would be made available Thursday We will decide everything tonight Wednesday he saidMallikarjun Kharge the Congress national general secretary said there were some things that needed to be sorted out His senior Congress colleague Ahmed Patel said that the partys national president Sonia Gandhi would skip Uddhavs swearingin but the Sena presidents son Aaditya flew to New Delhi to invite senior leaders across parties including the Gandhi family Sena leaders too did not say anything NCP leaders said the talks were positive But some leaders like Ajit and Sharad Pawar were holed up at the venueHolding fast to Speakers postSources said the Speakers post remained a bone of contention The same issue was debated fiercely the night before Ajit had switched over to the BJP NCP wants the Speakers post but the Congress doesnt want to give it up because the NCP already has the upper houses Chairman a Congress leader saidIn a parallel drama a large section of Ajits supporters has been demanding the DCMs position for him The MLAs feel that since he returned he should be rewarded However there was no clarity over this The NCP elected Jayant Patil as its legislative party leader after Ajits overnight switch last Saturday Patil also is a frontrunner for the DCMs postAddressing a media conference Patel said at least two members each from the three parties would take oath The expansion would be held after the trust vote is passed before December 3 He said the partners would meet again todayCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates