MUMBAI: The Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday hold a meeting to finalise the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) to discuss an alliance with the Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra.

Senior Congress leaders has named former Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, state unit chief Balasaheb Thorat, Manikrao Thackarey and Vijay Wadettiwar in the committee while the NCP has named Jayant Patil, Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Nawab Malik.

The decision to form a committee to discuss the common minimum programme was raised by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel during his meeting with Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the October 21 assembly elections in alliance. However, the alliance of the two parties fell out after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackarey demanded the rotational chief ministerial post, a demand denied by the BJP.

Maharashtra came under the President's Rule on Tuesday and the assembly was put in suspended animation.