NCP chief Sharad Pawar today said he had no idea about the decision taken by the Congress on the political situation in Maharashtra and added that his party will act as a responsible opposition.

Pawar held a news conference after meeting Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

The Congress has so far not said anything officially on the logjam in Maharashtra between the BJP and the Sena, which has led to speculation that it wants to keep a cautious distance from Uddhav Thackeray's party while its ally NCP takes the lead in negotiations.

Neither in the news conference on November 4 nor today, did Pawar mention Shiv Sena's politics and ideology, which has also fuelled discussion that an alliance is being explored.

Pawar today ruled himself out of chief ministership.

'I have been the chief minister four times and have no interest again,' he said.

Noting that the BJP and Shiv Sena have got the mandate to rule, he said, 'They should form the government at the earliest and not allow the state to slip in a constitutional crisis. They should allow us to fulfill the mandate assigned to us by people.'

Asked about senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel's meeting with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Wednesday, Pawar said, 'It must be about some road work.'

Pawar also said that Raut met him in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss issues to be jointly raised in the Rajya Sabha during Parliament session beginning on November 18.

Meanwhile, responding to Pawar's statement asking the BJP and Shiv Sena to form government at the earliest, Raut said, 'He is right. The party with 105 MLAs should form the government.'

Sources in the NCP said their party wants Arvind Sawant, the lone Shiv Sena minister in the Union government, to resign before going ahead further with the Sena.

There has been no headway in government formation after results of the state polls were declared on October 24.

The term of the existing state Assembly expires on November 9.

The BJP, which won 105 seats, and the Shiv Sena, which bagged 56 seats, are locked in a bitter tussle over sharing of the chief minister's post and ministerial portfolios in new government, even 13 days after the Assembly poll verdict handed them enough seats to cobble up a coalition government.

They won 161 seats together in the 288-member House, much above the halfway mark of 145.

Besides, the opposition NCP won 54 seats while the Congress got 44 seats.

The Sena had called off a meeting to hold formal talks with the BJP on October 29 after the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected Thackeray's claims that a formula had been 'agreed upon' on 'equal sharing of power' ahead of the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May this year.

Raut reiterated that the state's next chief minister will be from his party.

The BJP has welcomed Pawar's statement of sitting in opposition, which on the face of it denies the Sena any extra leverage amidst the tussle over the government formation.

'I welcome Pawar's decision that the NCP would sit in opposition,' said senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar who holds the finance portfolio in the outgoing government.

'All types of tigers would be protected by the BJP. We will take care of them,' he said in a veiled reference to the Sena whose emblem is tiger.

He further said the alliance between the Sena and the BJP is like 'H2O' — the chemical composition of water — which cannot be separated despite efforts by some people.

Responding to a query, the senior leader said, 'It will be known at the right time who is adamant in this alliance.'

Mungantiwar also reiterated that a 'good news can be announced any moment' when asked about the status of the impasse between the saffron allies.