Mumbai:
All the hopes of a heady Shiv Sena which dreamt of forming the MahaShivAghadi government with the support of the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were dashed as the latter two failed to give their official letter of support to the Sena. The Sena delegation led by its scion Aditya Thackeray which called on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan on Monday evening came out empty handed claiming that their “claim to form the government” was still alive.
Earlier in the morning, Sena’s lone Union Minister Arvind Sawant tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Replying to queries from newspersons over Sena’s pull out from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he remarked that his resignation was quite indicative that the Sena had pulled out of the BJP led NDA. By the evening with neither the letter of support from the Congress and NCP and having pulled out of the BJP led NDA, the Sena is in a piquant situation of neither here nor there.
In a brief statement issued by the Governor stated that although the Sena delegation came and met him, however, they could not furnish the letter of requisite support. Further they submitted a letter seeking three days of extension of the deadline to submit the letters of support. The Governor expressed his inability to give any further extension.
Speaking to a private news channel former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap argued that the Sena’s request for granting further extension to the deadline has no meaning and that the Governor was well within his rights to decline any further extension to the deadline. He added that though the Governor was well within his right to call the third largest party – the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to display its willingness and ability to form the government, he argued that since the NCP does not have to requisite numbers of its own, the prospects of imposition of Presidents Rule in Maharashtra has increased considerably.
The events took a dramatic turn in the evening as the Congress in the evening issued a statement stating that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) met in the morning and had a detailed discussion on the situation in Maharashtra after which consultations were held with Maharashtra Congress leaders. The Congress President has spoken to Sharad Pawar. The party will have further discussions with the NCP.
Earlier, speaking to newspersons at Raj Bhavan, Yuva Sena president Aditya Thackeray stated that they had communicated their willingness to form the next government to the Governor. He claimed that the Governor had not declined their claim and maintained that the Sena claim was still alive. Thackeray argued that the MahaShivAghadi government will be formed. He added that the Governor has not rejected their request to grant two more day’s time so that they could finialise their formalities of staking the claim with the two political parties (read Congress and NCP). Thackeray further claimed that the Sena was in talks with the two political parties.
Speaking to newspersons outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi;s official residence 10 Janpath in New Delhi, Congress leaders AICC Maharashtra incharge Mallikarjun Kharge, MPCC president Balasaheb Thorat, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Manikrao Thakare all maintained that the Congress will need two days time to work out the modalities.
They argued that since it was a matter involving consultations with three political parties it was taking time. Chavan maintained that the Congress will have to talk to the NCP before making any decision. Sources disclosed that Congress president Sonia Gandhi via video conferencing talked to each of the 44 MLAs of the Congress holed out in Jaipur. During the day Sena leaders Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar called on Congress strategist Ahmed Patel to enlist Congress support in government formation. At the same time Sena president Uddhav Thackeray met NCP president Sharad Pawar at Hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra.
The cup of Sena woes began overflowing in the afternoon as its most vocal leader for the past fortnight, Sanjay Raut took ill and rushed to Lilavati Hospital. He was admitted after Doctors found positive abnormalities in the Stress Test conducted on him. Late evening reports are that Raut is to undergo Angioplasty after two blockages in his heart were detected and has been advised two days of rest.
In a statement issued here late in the evening, state NCP spokesperson stated that time was needed to get the signatures of support of their MLAs on the letter of support to be given to the Sena. He added that a delegation of the NCP leaders has gone to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor. Mallik further stated that if the Governor extends a formal letter asking the NCP to form the government, then the NCP will talk to Congress and its other allies and take a final decision on government formation. By evening the tables had turned on the Sena.
The Sena which was seeking support of the Congress, NCP now stares at the prospects of having to support a probable Congress-NCP alliance government. The Shivsainik’s who had started to celebrate had to abort their celebrations after it became clear that the Governor declined to grant them any further extension to the deadline set by him.
Speaking to newspersons, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar stated that the NCP delegation was going to meet the Governor, but pleaded ignorance as to why the Governor had called them. Meanwhile, the NCP has called a meeting of all its 54 MLAs to decide upon the Governors invitation to form the next government. Whereas, Independent MLA Ravi Rana claimed that acting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will once again become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
State NCP president Jayant Patil in a statement stated that the Governor has given them time till 8.30 pm by Tuesday evening. He said that as per procedure they had met the Governor. He added that the NCP will talk to its MahaAghadi partner the Congress. Mallik added that the Congress has stated that it will talk to NCP president Sharad Pawar and take a final call on government formation.
Later in the evening, acting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired the meeting of the BJP core committee at his official residence Varsha. Speaking briefly to newspersons senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar stated that the BJP was closely watching all the political developments. He added that the BJP will take its decision at the appropriate time and at the present it was adopting the wait and watch policy.
