MUMBAI : After rejecting Shiv Sena’s request for a 3-day extension to stake claim , Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called upon Sharad-Pawar-led National Congress Party(NCP) to prove majority and form govt.
NCP has been allowed deadline of 8.30 pm today. Pawar said, it will take a call on the matter after discussions with Congress.
Desperate for potential alliance with Congress/NCP, Shiv Sena on Monday morning, pulled out its lone minister in PM Modi’s govt, Arvind Sawant, to signal break-up with NDA.
Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray, son of Uddhav Thackeray, met the Governor last evening. The Sena failed to produce letters of support, said the Governor’s office.
Meanwhile, NCP is expected to hold a meeting at 11 am today. Senior Congress leader Mallikarju Karge is expected to have talks with Sharad Pawar on the issue.
The Backdrop
BJP won 105 seats in 21 Oct polls, while its ally Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats. The majority mark in the 288-member Assembly is 145. Post election results on 24 Oct, both parties were at loggerheads over the chief minister’s post. After 2 weeks of deadlock, BJP withdrew. The Governor then invited Shiv Sena to prove majority and form the govt, but the latter failed to put up support numbers.
