MUMBAI, Nov 10:
Hours after the BJP declined to form Government in Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Khoshyari tonight asked the Shiv Sena to “indicate the willingness and ability” of the party to stake claim, mounting suspense over formation of Government.
The Sena, which is the second largest party in the 288-member House with 56 MLAs after the BJP (105), has time till 7:30 PM on November 11, to stake the claim, even as the NCP and the Congress refused to reveal their cards on supporting it.
While the Sena has been making efforts to reach out to the NCP and the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led party said the Sena will have to walk out of the NDA first.
Koshyari asked Sena legislative party leader Eknath Shinde to “indicate willingness and ability” of the party to form government in Maharashtra, a Raj Bhavan statement said.
After the governor’s communication, newly-elected Sena MLAs, currently staying at a suburban hotel in Mumbai, went into a huddle. They later moved to Matoshree, the Bandra residence of the party chief Uddhav Thackeray, for another meeting.
The fast-paced developments seem to have increased the bargaining power of opposition Congress and NCP, as the Sena, which has 56 MLAs, is far away from the halfway mark of 145.
A day after the governor asked the BJP to indicate its willingness and ability to form government, caretaker Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed him about the party’s inability to do so due to lack of enough numbers.
The role of the Congress (44 MLAS) and the NCP (54 MLAs) which have 98 members together, is crucial now.
If the Sena decides to form a government with the support of Opposition parties, the collective strength of all the three parties will go up to 154 in the House, just above the halfway mark.
While the Congress refused to open its cards, the NCP made it clear that the Sena would have to break away from the NDA before the Sharad Pawar-led party can think of lending support to the Uddhav Thackeray’s party.
However, Sena leader Sanjay Raut appeared unfazed and said his party would install its Chief Minister at any cost.
Sharing of power, especially the post of the Chief Minister on a rotational basis, was the bone of contention between the Sena and the BJP which resulted into a deadlock.
The Sena and the BJP have been locked in a bitter tussle over sharing of the post of the chief minister since the last 16 days when the results of the assembly polls were announced.
Fadnavis had rejected Thackeray’s claims that BJP chief Amit Shah was agreed to his demand for a rotational chief ministership ahead of Lok Sabha polls. (PTI)
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