NEW DELHI: The Shiv Sena on Friday said that Uddhav Thackeray has agreed to become the chief minister of Maharashtra after he emerged as the unanimous choice for the top post during alliance talks with the NCP and Congress.

"Uddhav Thackeray has given his consent to become the chief minister," senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier, NCP president Sharad Pawar had said that the new government in Maharashtra will be led by the Shiv Sena chief.

Emerging from a marathon meeting of top leaders of the Congress, the NCP and the Sena, who are making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, Pawar had said there was a consensus on Thackeray's leadership.

Asked about Pawar's statement on Thackeray's leadership, Sena MLA Eknath Shinde, who attended the meeting, separately told reporters there was "no discussion on that issue".

Shinde, who was elected as the leader of the Sena's legislative wing last month, is seen as one of the contenders for the chief minister's post.

Meanwhile, NCP's chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said Pawar has been insisting on Thackeray to lead the government.

"Pawar Saheb has been insisting on Thackeray to become the chief minister. Saheb said consensus has been reached on the issue. Now, it is Uddhav Thackeray ji who has to take a decision," Malik told a news channel.

Pawar said the meeting at Nehru Centre at Worli deliberated extensively on agenda for governance for the prospective dispensation.

"There will be a press conference tomorrow after everything is finalised," said the former Union minister, who is at the centre of government formation talks in Maharashtra, where assembly poll results were announced nearly a month ago.

Thackeray, who emerged from the meeting soon after Pawar, said the talks were held in satisfactory manner.

"The talks (on government formation) are progressing in the right direction. Nitty gritties are being discussed now. All the three parties will come before you and all details will be shared after finalisation," he said.

Shinde, Subhash Desai, Sanjay Raut (all Shiv Sena), Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, K C Venugopal, Avinash Pande, Balasaheb Thorat, Prithviraj Chavan (Congress), Praful Patel, Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar (NCP) took part in the meeting.

The state has been facing a political crisis after the Sena broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the assembly polls in alliance, had secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats, respectively, in the 288-member Assembly.

The NCP and the Congress, pre-poll allies, won 54 and 44 seats, respectively.

The combined tally of the Sena, the NCP and the Congress is way beyond the majority mark of 145.

The state is currently under President's rule.

(With inputs from PTI)



In Video: Consensus that Uddhav should lead Maharashtra govt, says Sharad Pawar after Cong-NCP-Sena meet