President’s Rule twist to Maha post-poll potboiler
SC CHALLENGE Sena, NCP, Cong accuse governor of acting at behest of BJP
MUMBAI: President’s Rule was clamped in Maharashtra on Tuesday after governor BS Koshyari told the Centre that no party was in a position to form the government, capping nearly three weeks of political instability in the state and triggering criticism from the Opposition.
The Union home ministry said the customary six-month-long central rule could be revoked earlier if any party came forward to prove a majority in the state assembly.
The Shiv Sena, which has fallen out with pre-poll ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the chief minister’s position, approached the Supreme Court against Koshyari, saying the governor acted at the behest of the BJP.
A senior party leader said on condition of anonymity that a second petition would be filed early on Wednesday challenging the President’s Rule.
Koshyari sent his report to the Union home ministry after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was invited to form the government on Monday night, asked for more time. The report was received around noon, and the governor’s recommendation was endorsed in a Cabinet meeting at 1.30pm.
The BJP and the Sena had, previously, failed to come up with the requisite numbers within the prescribed deadlines.
“Keeping in view the situation, circumstances and ground realities, the governor is satisfied that the situation has arisen in the state of Maharashtra in which it is impossible to constitute and/ or form a stable government in the state,” Koshyari wrote in the report.
The impasse in Maharashtra began soon after the assembly election results threw up a hung House, with the BJP at 105 seats, the Sena at 56, the NCP at 54 and the Congress at 44. After the BJP declined to form the government on Saturday – and blamed the Sena for betraying the people’s mandate – the governor called the regional outfit.
The Sena’s bid was dependent on support from its erstwhile rivals, the NCP and Congress, but the latter said late on Monday evening that it needed more time. But on Tuesday evening, there were indications that the three parties were inching towards an arrangement, especially from Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
: Hours after President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra, allies Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) launched formal talks on Tuesday and said they will soon finalise a formula for sharing power in a Shiv Sena-led state government, people familiar with the matter said.
The NCP wants the chief minister’s post for two-and-a-halfyears, half the government’s term, a person familiar with the developments said. The demand could be a major hurdle in the three parties reaching an agreement on the sharing of power.
A day after the Shiv Sena did not get an expected letter of support from the Congress and NCP and minutes after President’s Rule was imposed in the state, leaders of the Congress and NCP met in Mumbai to work out a power sharing formula and common minimum programme.
Congress’s organisation general secretary KC Venugopal, along with other senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, and Ahmed Patel, reached Mumbai in the evening.
They held a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the YB Chavan Centre for around oneand-a-half hours.
Congress and NCP leaders said after the meeting that a decision on supporting Shiv Sena to form a government will be taken once they arrive at a consensus.
“There will discussions between Congress and NCP over the common minimum programme and other issues first before discussing it with the Sena. The decision over supporting Sena to form the government will be taken once we arrive at an agreement over the policies and programmes of the government to be formed,” Patel said.
While insisting that the Congress
participate in the government to ensure its stability, NCP has insisted on the rotation of the chief minister’s post. Although the Congress has not put forth any such demand, leaders from both sides say that it could become a bone of contention during discussions among the three parties.
The leaders also discussed equal sharing of ministerial berths among the three parties. Congress is expected to demand the post of speaker of the Assembly. “We have almost arrived at the decision of participating in the government and will be pressing for significant departments,” said a Congress leader.
Pawar said that the governor, by imposing President’s Rule, had given ample time for discussion on the formation of the next government. He said that they hadn’t discussed sharing of power yet as the priority for them are the policies of a government that would be headed by the Sena.