Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday announced that the Shiv Sena will form the government in Maharashtra with the Congress and the NCP, as the three parties finalised the draft for a common minimum programme and sent it for approval to their respective central leaderships.

“This government will be formed and it will complete five years. We all will ensure this government runs for five years,” Pawar said, responding to former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s prediction that a Sena-NCP-Congress government would not last more than six months.

Pawar said: “I know Devendra ji for some years. But I did not know he is a student of astrology too.”

Asked about the Sena’s alleged insistence on holding the chief minister’s post for the entire term, Pawar said: “If anybody demands the chief minister’s post, we will think about it.” The NCP wants to share the top post by rotation.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the Sena would get the chief minister’s post first. “The question is often asked about chief minister. On this issue, the Sena separated from the BJP. Taking care of their prestige is our job. The chief minister will be theirs.”

Asked about sharing the post, he said: “Talks are still on.”

The Sena had fought the October 21 elections in alliance with the BJP but the partner split after the BJP refused to share the chief minister’s post.

On the question of whether the Congress would join the government or offer outside support, Malik said: “Participation of all three parties is sort of our condition. We want the Congress to join the government. That will provide stability.”

Congress leaders are also agreeable to the idea but the final decision will be taken by party president Sonia Gandhi. Ahmed Patel on Friday met Sonia to discuss the issue.

The three parties will meet governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 3pm on Saturday to discuss what they describe as “governance failure”. The Congress and the NCP sought the appointment, causing a political flutter. But sources said only farmers’ issues and job losses would be brought up at this meeting, and that the three parties would approach the governor next week with signatures of more than 150 MLAs to stake claim to form the government.

President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra on Tuesday. The results were declared on October 24 and the BJP claimed victory but failed to form the government.

The NCP, Congress and the Sena have held talks over the past three days after the Sena ended its alliance with the BJP and pulled out of the NDA at the Centre.

Sources said the common minimum programme will skirt contentious issues and the focus will be on governance rather than politics. The Sena has already begun to give credit to the Congress stalwarts for leading the freedom struggle and playing a decisive role in the creation of Maharashtra. Party leader Sanjay Raut said the role of the Congress in freedom movement was indisputable and that the Sena had always appreciated that.