Reports said that the meeting between allies NCP and Congress in Mumbai has ended. the Sharad Pawar-led party has proposed for its alliance partner to have the deputy chief minister’s post for five years while insisting that the party joins the coalition government between NCP and Shiv Sena.
The NCP is also expected to bargain for a rotational chief minister’s post between itself and the Shiv Sena, if the parties manage to cobble up a coalition government amid President’s Rule being imposed in the state.
Reports also said that Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, and KC Venugopal in the meeting with Sharad Pawar have demanded a common minimum programme.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has outlined the conditions of President’s Rule that has been imposed in Maharashtra on the governor’s recommendation, and said that as per protocol, the directive will only be valid for six months.
“The President’s Rule can be withdrawn if any party can prove majority,” the statement was quoted as saying by reports. The statement also said that the decision was taken after the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recommendation because he claimed that a stable government couldn’t be formed in the state.
India Today and CNN-News18 reported that President Ram Nath Kovind has approved Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recommendation for President’s Rule in Maharashtra.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has sent the file on Maharashtra Governor’s recommendation to impose President’s Rule in the state to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent. Reportedly, Kovind is travelling and is set to return to the National Capital at 5 pm today.
Reports also said that Kovind is set to take a decision on the situation shortly.
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal, Ahmed Patel, authorised by party interim president Sonia Gandhi to work out a power-sharing equation with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), have arrived in Mumbai.
The meeting between Congress and NCP is scheduled for 5 pm.
Congress leaders Sanjay Nirupam and Randeep Surjewala criticised Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s recommendation that President’s Rule be imposed in Maharashtra, in the absence of a government in the state even two weeks after the Assembly election results were announced.
However, leaders from the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena have accused the governor of “unconstitutionally” declining enough time to the second and third largest parties to stake a claim.
Nirupam said, “The imposition of President Rule in Maharashtra was decided long ago.But Hon Governer should have waited till 8.30 tonight before sending report to Centre. Because he only had fixed this deadline with NCP as last option to form the government. Prima facie it looks illegal and unconstitutional now.”
Meanwhile, Surjewala said that the governor had “committed a grave travesty of the democracy and made a mockery of the Constitutional process” in reccomending President’s Rule in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena has sought an urgent hearing in the case agains bid to impose President’s Rule in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena said, “Governor wrongfully declined to give three days time”. Shiv Sena MLA Anil Parab is a co-petitioner in the case. However, the Supreme Court has not said anything about hearing the case on an urgent basis.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday recommended President’s rule in the state. An important executive development was mired in confusion as media outlets, including state-run Prasar Bharti and Doordarshan leaked the news citing sources. Meanwhile, several journalists quoted Raj Bhavan Spokesperson to negate the reports. The confusion cleared up only when the Raj Bhavan confirmed recommendation of President’s Rule at its official handle.
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari confirmed on the Raj Bhavan’s official Twitter handle having recommended the President’s Rule. He said that his actions were as per the law.
Confusion over President Rule in Maharashtra prevails as conflicting reports continue to filer in. PTI cited sources to claim that Cabinet has recommended President’s Rule in Maharashtra. Meanwhile several journalists, along with NCP leader Ajit Pawar claimed Raj Bhavan officials have denied such a claim.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the governor has already sent the recommendation to impose President’s Rule in Maharashtra and Shiv Sena leaders are already reacting to the media reports. Party leader Priyanka Chaturvedi asked on Twitter that how can the governor defy his own deadline of 8.30 pm given to NCP to form government.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that the party is in no hurry to form the government and will wait for the Congress’ decision. “We (Congress and NCP) contested together and we remain together,” he said.
Sources told CNN-News18 that NCP wants both the Shiv Sena and Congress on board, instead of getting ‘outside support’. If the three parties come together, the chief minister will be from the Shiv Sena. Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge, who were supposed to visit Mumbai to discuss modalities of support to the Shiv Sena for government formation in Maharashtra, have deferred their visit, Congress’ Manikrao Thakre told PTI.
President Ram Nath Kovind accepted Arvind Sawant’s resignation on Tuesday. Prakash Javadekar has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Meanwhile, Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam blamed the BJP and Shiv Sena for bringing Maharashtra to the “doorstep of President’s Rule”. He said holding Congress responsible for the instability the state is witnessing currently is meaningless.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s core group will meet again today to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra as the route to Sena-NCP-Congress alliance no longer appears as smooth as the Maratha party was letting on until Monday morning. The Congress has said it is yet to make up its mind on government formation, and no alternate alliance is possible without the grand old party’s support.
Congress and Nationalist Congress Party will hold discussions over government today at 2 pm. The two parties are mulling to support a Shiv Sena-led government. However, they haven’t come to a decision yet.
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, issuing a statement on inviting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the government in the state, said, “Despite the passage of 16 days, no single party or alliance of parties has come forward with requisite letter of support from alliance partners to form the government.”
BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday weighed in on the tumultous political situation in Maharashtra as the Shiv Sena and NCP made frenzied attempts on Monday to cobble together a coalition government. After the meeting of senior BJP leaders, Mungantiwar said, “The BJP core team meeting has concluded. The political situation in the state was discussed in the meeting. On its basis, BJP is taking the stand of ‘wait and watch’.”
A delegation of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has reached the Raj Bhavan for a meeting with Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari after reports claimed that the authority had invited the Sharad Pawar-led party to stake claim to form the government.
“At 8.30 pm, the Governor called us and asked me to come to meet him. Along with Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil and others, I am going to meet him. We have no idea as to why did he call us. Governor is an important person so we are going to meet him.”
NCP leader Ajit Pawar spoke to the media soon after reports claimed that the Maharashtra governor has invited the NCP to stake the claim to form the government in the state. Pawar said that a delegation of party leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, is going to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
He also said, “We dont know why we are being invited to form the government, I don’t know the agenda, we are going to talk to the governor now.”
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday kept the ball rolling in the political situation in Maharashtra and has invited the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to form govt after the Shiv Sena failed to prove the support from other parties, says report.
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on Monday issued a statement clarifying that the Shiv Sena’s demand for an extention of the deadline to stake claim to form the government was rejected because the party hadn’t been able to provide the “requisite letters of support” from the Congress and NCP.
“A delegation of the Shiv Sena met the Governor and expressed its willingness to form the government. However, they couldn’t submit the requisite letters of support.They submitted a letter requesting a three-day extension for submitting the letters of support. The Governor has expressed inability to give further extension,” the statement said.
Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray briefed the media on the party’s discussion with Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on Monday. He said that within 24 hours of receiving a letter to stake claim to form the government from the governor, they had held talks with the Congress and NCP on possibility of extending support.
“We are tet to get a letter of support from Congress, NCP. But we have expressed our willingness to form the government in Maharashtra to the governor. We have sought two more days to stake the claim, and though the governor has rejected the request in person, it has not been rejected on paper,” he said.
With the CWC meeting chaired by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi having concluded, the party has reportedly decided to offer “outside support” to the Shiv Sena and NCP in forming the government in Maharashtra.
Sources were quoted by ANI as saying that th eCongress will support Shiv Sena and NCP, both the parties have been informed. “Final proceedings are being done,” the statement said.
Reports also quoted Congress leader KC Venugopal as saying that a letter of support to the Shiv Sena hasn’t been sent yet, even as Shiv Sena leaders are currently at the Raj Bhavan to meet the Maharashtra governor.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is likely to ask Mahrashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari for an extention of 24 hours on the deadline given to stake claim to form the government. A multi-car convoy of Shiv Sena leaders has just reached the Raj Bhavan for a meeting with the governor, reports said.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally of the Congress who is considering joining the Shiv Sena in a coalition government, has demanded that a senior member of the Shiv Sena be instituted as the chief minister.
The alliance between the Shiv Sena and BJP broke down in the days since the Assembly election results were declared, on the former’s demand that there should be a rotational chief minister’s post in the state.
The Congress, after a crucial CWC meeting chaired by interim president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, is likely to offer “outside support” to the Shiv Sena on forming the government in Maharashtra, India Today reported.
The report said that Sonia is not in favour of being part of the government which is what its ally NCP chief Sharad Pawar was batting for, but has indicated willingness to offer outside support to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi reportedly spoke to the party’s Maharashtra MLAs who are lodged in a Jaipur hotel amid the political crisis in the state. Sonia is also currently chairing a crucial CWC meeting to take a decision on whether the party should support the Shiv Sena in forming the government.
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