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Business News/ Politics / News/  Another twist in Maharashtra as governor invites NCP to form govt
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Another twist in Maharashtra as governor invites NCP to form govt

The governor rejected Shiv Sena’s demand for more time to get the support of the Congress and NCP
  • The Sharad Pawar-led NCP has 24 hours to respond to the governor’s invite to form govt
  • Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday (Photo: ANI)Premium
    Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday (Photo: ANI)

    New Delhi: Hectic efforts at government formation in Maharashtra appeared going down to the wire, with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday inviting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the government following the failure of Shiva Sena to elicit the immediate support of NCP and Congress.

    Late in the evening, Koshyari invited NCP to form the government, giving it 24 hours to respond.

    “The governor has invited us to form the government, we have 24 hours to respond to the letter. We will discuss it with the Congress party, which is our alliance partner. We will take a decision after discussing it with Congress tomorrow," said senior NCP leader Nawab Malik.

    Earlier in the evening, members of the Shiv Sena met Koshyari to ask for more time to enable it to get the support of the Congress and NCP, but he rejected the demand.

    If none of the parties are able to form a government, the governor will recommend the imposition of President’s Rule.

    Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said his party is talking to Congress and NCP legislators (Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint)
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    Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said his party is talking to Congress and NCP legislators (Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint)

    Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said the party had sought two more days.

    “We got a letter from the governor to express (to indicate) our willingness to form the government. We have expressed our willingness. We wanted two more days to talk to Congress and NCP, but our demand was rejected by the governor," said Thackeray. “But our willingness to form a government has not been rejected. We are talking to the two parties and legislators, but we cannot give more details about our talks."

    Surprisingly, the day-long political developments over government formation in Maharashtra got two ideological adversaries, Shiv Sena and NCP, to talk about the possibility of forming a government together. The Congress, which could be the third member of such a coalition, has not decided if it will provide outside support or join the government. Congress leaders will now meet NCP members to discuss the rapidly developing political situation that has unfolded after the 24 October assembly elections.

    “The Congress Working Committee met and had a detailed discussion on Maharashtra. Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) spoke to Sharad Pawar, the party will have further discussion with NCP," Congress said in a statement after the meeting at Gandhi’s residence.

    Among Shiv Sena leaders who reached Raj Bhawan to meet Koshyari seeking more time were Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

    The talks over government formation started after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray spoke to NCP president Pawar. The NCP chief also spoke to Gandhi for support.

    “The talks are going on for an alliance to take shape between Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress," a senior NCP leader said on condition of anonymity. “The point of contention is whether Congress will provide outside and issue-based support to the government or whether it will join the government. Uddhav Thackeray is keen that Congress becomes part of the government rather than lend outside support. Sharad Pawar is speaking to Sonia Gandhi for it, more discussions will follow."

    Gandhi will have to weigh her options, as she is under pressure from Congress MLAs, who want the party to join the state government.

    Earlier in the day, Pawar held a series of meetings with other NCP leaders and MLAs, while Gandhi spoke to Congress MLAs. Later, the Congress called its Maharashtra leadership to Delhi to discuss if the party should support a Shiv Sena-led government.

    If the three parties manage to come together, then they have a clear majority in the Maharashtra assembly and BJP will have to sit in the opposition despite being the single largest party with 105 seats. The Shiv Sena has 56 seats, NCP 54 and the Congress 44, which would give a coalition government of the three parties a clear majority in the 288-member assembly.

    As the political drama unfolded rapidly through the day, the sole Shiv Sena member in the Union council of ministers, heavy industries minister Arvind Sawant, resigned from the post, indicating that the party was breaking its ties with BJP. Sawant said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and submitted his resignation.

    The decision of the Shiv Sena to quit the Union council of ministers is significant as Pawar had set a condition that the Shiv Sena should break ties with the ruling NDA if the regional party wanted NCP’s support in forming the government in Maharashtra.


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    Published: 12 Nov 2019, 12:15 AM IST
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