Maharashtra Governor invites Sena to try its hand at solving the knotty Govt formation, gives time till Monday evening to cobble up numbers

Mumbai:

After acting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his inability to form the next government, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari late on Sunday night asked Shiv Sena to indicate its willingness and ability to form the next government. While doing so the Raj Bhavan has given very little time till 7.30 pm by Monday evening to show its numbers. Sources in the Sena disclosed that senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut has postponed his New Delhi visit till tomorrow and instead is likely to request the Governor to grant some more time to muster up the numbers required for the majority mark of 145 MLAs.

In a communiqué sent to Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP) leader Eknath Shinde, the Governor has asked him to indicate the willingness and ability of his party to form the government in Maharashtra.”Elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly were held on 21st October and the results were declared on 24th October. However, despite the passage of 15 days, no single party or alliance of parties has come forward to form the government. Yesterday, Shri Devendra Fadnavis was called upon to express his willingness and ability to form government. However, today, he has shown unwillingness. The Governor has, therefore, asked the leader of elected members of the second largest party, Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde, to convey its willingness and ability to form the government to him”, adds the Raj Bhavan communique.

Meanwhile, sounding upbeat Raut remarked that Maharashtra will get a Sena Chief Minister at any cost. Sources disclosed that Raut was supposed to have air-dashed to New Delhi to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Speaking to newspersons in Jaipur, AICC Maharashtra incharge Mallikarjun Kharge remarked “people have given us mandate that we have to sit in opposition and we accept it. Now it is for the party high command to take a decision”.

It is still not clear as to whether Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar will meet the Congress president in New Delhi on Monday. Meanwhile, speaking to newspersons, state NCP spokesperson Nawab Mallik made it clear that for the Sena to seek the support of the NCP it will have to first pull out of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and announce that it was snapping its ties with the BJP. Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai South, Arvind Sawant is the Union Minister for Heavy Industries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s union cabinet.

Mallik further disclosed that the NCP has called meeting of all its 54 MLAs on November 12 in Mumbai. He said that after having pulled out of the NDA and the union cabinet and declare that it was severing all ties with the BJP. The Sena then needs to send a formal request for support which only then can be considered. The NCP spokesperson added that without any discussion on the programs of the government, the shape of the government and on what basis to form the government, no final decision can be made. Mallik added that while taking any decision the Congress leadership will also be taken into confidence.

Further raising the anxiety levels in the Sena, he further remarked that it is still not clear that will the Sena make its Chief Minister with the support of the BJP. He added that since the NCP does not have the required numbers it will not make any claim and are ready to sit in the opposition. He further stated that if the Sena-BJP are going to offer a new power sharing formula then the NCP will sit in the opposition benches.

The BJP has been careful enough in not declaring that it was snapping its ties with the Sena. Likewise, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray too has been maintaining that the Sena-BJP alliance is still intact. In order to cobble up the numbers by tomorrow evening, the Sena will have to move a lightning speed to meet the deadline set by the Governor. Mostly importantly it will have to give it in writing to the Governor the support it enjoys of the 145 MLAs.

The final tally in the 288 member 14^th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly reads thus – BJP 105, Sena 56, NCP 54, Congress 44, Independents 13, BVA 3, MIM 2, PJP 2, SP 2, CPI-M 1, JSS 1, KSP 1, MNS 1, RSP 1 and Swabhimani Paksha 1.

The BJP enjoys the support of 14 Independent’s and MLAs from smaller parties, raising its tally to 119. The Sena enjoys the support of 7 more Independent’s and MLAs from smaller parties pushing its tally to 63. Both together have a tally of 182 MLAs, which is way above the 145 majority mark.

In order to survive the government on the floor of the legislative assembly, the Sena will now have to cobble up support of 145 MLAs. Although, many Congress MLAs are in favor of an alliance with the Sena, it will require some hard negotiations and convincing its party high command which is weary of its long term implications. If the Congress decides to give outside support to the Sena-NCP government, then the majority mark comes down to 123. Then it becomes anybodys game.