MUMBAI, April 27: The Maharashtra Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday to decide whether the state should go to polls along with the Lok Sabha, a move that demolishes the Government's vehement stand that it wanted to complete its five years in the saddle.Echoing a widespread opinion among BJP-Shiv Sena ministerial circles, a senior BJP minister today said, ``We feel that in the interest of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, the Assembly should be dissolved and we should go to polls along with the Lok Sabha. We will certainly discuss this issue in tomorrow's Cabinet meeting, he revealed.''This transformation of mood in the Sena-BJP ranks in favour of early polls evidently came after gauging that the State saffron partners could ride on a nation-wide sympathy wave for the BJP coalition. The ministers also feel that the anti-Congress wave, following its failure to cobble up a coalition at the centre, would further help the alliance's bid to come back to power.Interestingly, Chief Minister Narayan Rane had firmlyobjected to the Election Commission's recent suggestion for early assembly polls but this Monday, Rane went on to state that the alliance was prepared to face simultaneous elections.Though the cabinet will deliberate on the issue at tomorrow's meeting, the crunch, as always, lies with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. And Thackeray in turn will act in consultation with BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.Meanwhile, a senior official of the election branch confirmed that the entire state poll machinery was ready for the big event.
