New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS): Amid hectic parleys on backing a Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra, former president of Maharashtra Congress Manikrao Thackre said on Monday that a final decision will be taken by the Congress president and the MLAs will abide by the high command.

He added that the party has ideological differences with the Shiv Sena. "The Congress and the NCP are friends, while the Shiv Sena is a BJP ally, but we have to take a decision in the interest of the state," Thakre said.

Shiv Sena leaders Milind Narvekar and Anil Desai have met Congress leader Ahmed Patel, amid reports that the Congress is likely to extend outside support to a Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government in Maharashtra.

The grand old party has called a second meeting on Monday to take a final call on the matter.

With reports that a majority of its state MLAs favour supporting the Shiv Sena and NCP in the state, the Congress leadership has to take a call by Monday.

Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi on Monday morning held a meeting with senior party leaders, including Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jyotiraditya Scindia and others, to discuss the party's possible involvement in Maharashtra government formation.

Congress has flown all its 44 MLAs from Mumbai to Jaipur in Rajasthan to avoid poaching.

Late on Sunday, Governor B.S. Koshyari invited the Shiv Sena, the second largest party in the Assembly, to show its willingness and ability to form the government, after the BJP informed it of its inability to do so citing lack of numbers.

In the recently concluded elections, the BJP emerged as the single biggest party in Maharashtra winning 105 out of the 288 seats, while its partner Shiv Sena managed to get 56 seats. The NCP and the Congress won 54 and 44 seats respectively.