In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the Congress has appealed that the party should be invited to form the next government. The party has sought time to prove that it has the necessary support for the formation of a government. Though, the Congress has emerged as the singly largest party, it will require another 69 to touch the magic figure of 144 in the 288-member assembly.

Former state unit president and a front runner for the post of chief minister, Ranjit Deshmukh told The Finnancial Express that the party would explore all the possibilities to muster support. He said it had sought another two to three days after the notification of election results are made.

The breakaway faction, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, has 58 members. Even if the two parties come together they will make for only 133 seats, 12 short of simple majority.

Congress' state unit president Prataprao Bhosale said that no final decision on an alliance between his party and the NCP had been taken so far.

However, All India Congress Committee general secretary Sushilkumar Shinde who is very keen on an alliance between the two flew to New Delhi to discuss the issue with the party high command. Shinde, who had also held meeting with Bhosale, former minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Rajya Sabha members Suresh Kalmadi and Govindrao Adik on Thursday, is believed to have strongly pleaded for an alliance between two factions to keep the saffron alliance out of power.

In a related development, NCP president Sharad Pawar castigated the Congress for not responding positively to the proposal of an alliance between the two parties. He said the proposal on the formation of government with support from the NCP had yet to be received from the Congress.

He made it clear that his party should not be taken for granted. The decision regarding the formation of government by a Congress-NCP alliance should be taken after dialogue. He added that no dialogue was possible if the Congress put any conditions before his party.

Pawar, accompanied by NCP state unit president Chhagan Bhujbal, told reporters here that the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin was not relevant in the present situation as the Congress was not in a position to form government at the Centre. "It seems some people in the Congress are not eager to form an alliance government (in Maharashtra)," pawar said.

"Those who know the process of government formation should realise that further delay on this count will not be in anybody's interest," he said when his attention was drawn to the moves on part of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance to stake claim.

On the other side, the ruling Shiv Sena has a strength of 69 while the BJP has secured 56 seats and their combine strength is 125 (19 short of the simple majority). The saffron alliance which will formally elect its leader at a meeting on Saturday is busy in mustering support from 12 Independents as well as four members representing separate parties and three members of the Peasants and Workers Party. The PWP has won 5 seats.

The alliance is likely to stake its claim either on Saturday or on Sunday.Meanwhile, Deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde who was elected as the party's leader in the state assembly by newly elected members said the governor should call the saffron alliance first to form government since it had got the maximum number of seats (125). "If we fail to prove our majority on floor of the House, then the governor may call other parties," he asserted.

Pawar sounded for govt formation,says Advani

Home minister LK Advani on Friday disclosed that Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar has been "informally sounded" for support in formation of a BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.

"Shiv Sena and BJP together are short of a majority and so are others. It is a real hung assembly in which no clear directions are available unless some (party) or the other compromise with their earlier stances," he told "Eenadu Television" in an interview. To repeated questions if his party had contacted NCP, Advani said "it would not be fair for me to comment on the possibilities particularly when something has to be done immediately....I would confine myself to say that informal sounding has been made."

He maintained that the situation in Maharashtra was such that something has to be done in a day or two as after the elections the state governor must initiate the process of government formation, according to a transcript of the interview.