Mumbai, November 22: "16-15-12" is the new buzz code in political circles of Maharashtra, with leaders from the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress claiming that the three parties have finalised on the power-sharing pact. According to reports citing top sources, the Sena would be keeping 16 ministerial berths, NCP 15 and Congress 12. 'Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress Alliance Unlikely to Last Beyond 6-8 Months,' Says Nitin Gadkari.

A formal announcement n the terms of alliance is expected later in the day, after the tripartite meeting of senior leaders conclude. An NCP insider, while speaking to HT, said it has been decided that the Sena would be keeping the maximum ministerial berths as it has the largest number of MLAs among the trio.

The 16 berths for Sena including the chief ministerial post, 11 ministerial portfolios and 4 minister of states. The NCP would also be allowed to appoint 11 ministers 4 MoS, whereas, the Congress' quota includes 9 ministers and 3 MoS.

Following the three-party meeting to be held later today, the Congress and NCP are also expected to held a separate meeting, The final announcement is expected by later tonight. The Sena, NCP and Congress are expected to jointly submit their claim before Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday.

The unthinkable Sena-NCP-Congress alliance took shape after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party snapped their 30-year-old ties with the BJP. Though it was part of NDA till the conduct of polls, the party adopted a rebellious approach after the results.

With the BJP falling short of a full majority on its own, the Sena insisted on rotational chief ministership for inking the post-poll alliance. The BJP disagreed, reiterating that Devendra Fadnavis should continue as the CM for next five years. This prompted Sena to reach out to the Opposition camp led by the NCP-Congress combine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2019 04:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).