Veteran Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Sunday said that it was not possible for the NCP-Congress to form any government without Shiv Sena, adding that the grand old party must not even think of sharing power with Shiv Sena under any circumstances as it will be a 'disastrous move' for the party.

Posting from his official handle on Twitter, the Congress leader wrote, "In the current political arithmetic in Maharashtra, its just impossible for Congress-NCP to form any govt. For that, we need Shiv Sena. And we must not think of sharing power with Shiv Sena under any circumstances. That will be a disastrous move for the party."

His comment comes after earlier in the day, another senior Congress leader, Milind Deora, had said that the governor should invite the NCP-Congress alliance to form the government in Maharashtra since the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has been facing an impasse for a while now.

"Maharashtra's Governor should invite NCP-Congress - the second largest alliance - to form the government now that BJP-Shivsena has refused to do so," Milind Deora said in a tweet.

Election arithmetic shows that by themselves, the NCP-Congress alliance cannot form the government in Maharashtra since they do not cut the halfway mark for proving the majority in the house. In the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the halfway mark is 144. Even with the combined strength of Congress, which bagged 44 seats, and NCP, with 54 seats, the alliance falls short of the mark by 47 seats to prove majority in the House. If an alliance with Shiv Sena, which bagged 56 seats, was possible, though, it would take the coalition seat tally to 154, crossing the halfway mark. However, Sanjay Nirupam has advised against this.

As Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday invited the BJP to form the government, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said it will vote against the saffron party on the floor of the House and will try to form an alternative government in the interest of the state.

The governor invited the BJP as the single-largest party in the state to form the government even as the deadlock with alliance partner Shiv Sena continues, 16 days after the state assembly results were declared on October 24.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP - the two parties that contested the recently-held assembly elections together - have failed to reach an agreement, creating an impasse in the state.

The Shiv Sena's claim of 50-50 government formula, asking for the chief minister's post of two and half years has not been accepted by the BJP.

The BJP won 105 seats and Shiv Sena grabbed 56, together they have the numbers to form the government but both the parties have not been able to break the impasse on sharing the chief minister's post.

If the BJP refuses to form a minority government or fails to prove its majority, the Shiv Sena, the second-largest party, may stake claim to form the government. 

The BJP claims to have the support of 121 members, including independents and leaders from other smaller parties, in the 288-member assembly.

However, Shiv-Sena secured 56 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly, falling way below the half-way mark of 145 and therefore cannot form the government in Maharashtra independently.

The Shiv Sena could form the government if it seeks support from the Congress and NCP which have 44 and 54 seats respectively. However, the chiefs of both parties have so far refused to commit support to the Shiv Sena.