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In a development late on Sunday evening, the Maharashtra Governor's office asked Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, leader of the elected members of the second largest party, to try and form the government in the State.
The development came after the BJP, the single largest party with 105 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly, on Sunday gave up efforts to form a government after 16 days of hectic negotiations with ally Shiv Sena.
Now, the ball is in Shiv Sena’s court to gather 145 MLAs to form the government when its strength is only 56 MLAs. At the time of going to press, it was not clear if the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) would join the Shiv Sena to form a government or offer support from outside.
With the key pre-poll ally Shiv Sena refusing to back down on its demand of rotational Chief Ministership — with Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray saying this demand was agreed to by BJP strongman Amit Shah, too — the BJP was not able to form the government.
BJP Maharashtra President Chandrakant Patil told media persons after meeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari the people had given the mandate to the Mahayuti alliance, of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and other like-mined parties. However, the Shiv Sena had insulted that mandate by not forming the government with the BJP. “Now, if the Shiv Sena manages to form the government with the Congress and the NCP, then the BJP can only best wishes convey to them,” he said.
Sources in the BJP said the high command thought the Shiv Sena was driving a hard bargain as it wanted plum portfolios. But it could not read the mind of Uddhav Thackeray, who had felt slighted due to the one-sided negotiations driven by the BJP in 2014.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena have had an alliance since 1989.
PTI reports
Meanwhile, The Congress in Maharashtra on Sunday said that it didn’t want President’s Rule in the State.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan said newly-elected MLAs of the party will seek advice from the party high-command over its future political stand in the State.
“We are in Jaipur. We will discuss the issue here and will seek advice for the future political stand. The party doesn’t want President’s rule in the State,” he told reporters.
Chavan said he was in favour of forming a stable government in Maharashtra.
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