After the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP failed to tot up the numbers and resolve the impasse over government formation in Maharashtra, President’s rule has been imposed in the state.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who had given the Nationalist Congress Party time till 8.30 pm on Tuesday to express its “willingness and ability” to form government and time being of the essence, has submitted a report to President Ram Nath Kovind recommending President’s rule in the state. Later, the Union cabinet had recommend to the President that Central rule should be imposed in the state.
Following this, the President has signed the proclamation imposing President’s rule in the state.
An angry Shiv Sena, which was trying to cobble together a non-BJP government with support from the NCP and the Congress, had moved the Supreme Court challenging the governor’s decision on Monday to not grant it the three days to submit the letter of support for government formation in the state.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge, who were supposed to come to Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss modalities of support to the Shiv Sena for government formation in Maharashtra, have deferred their visit, a Congress leader said.
The two leaders postponed their visit after NCP chief Sharad Pawar conveyed that state leaders of both the parties will first discuss the “terms and conditions” of government formation, former Maharashtra Congress president Manikrao Thakare said.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had on Monday discussed the state’s political situation with Pawar and accordingly, it was decided that the state NCP and Congress leaders “will discuss the terms and conditions and a ‘common minimum programme’ for government formation” later in the day, he said.
Maharashtra has been without a elected government since October 23 when the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance won a majority in the 288-member assembly. However, the two parties have been unable to agree on who should be chief minister.
The BJP, which is the single-largest party in the state with 105 seats, on Sunday decided against staking claim to form a government for want of adequate numbers. The governor then invited the second-largest party Shiv Sena, which won 56 seats in the October 21 state polls. The NCP and Congress bagged 54 and 44 seats, respectively.
