Sena won’t budge, shifts 56 MLAs to Mumbai hotel
■ Maha crisis unresolved; BJP meets gov, doesn’t stake claim Sena says it has ‘options’; talks to Cong & NCP
With an aggressive Shiv Sena remaining firm on the issue of a rotational chief ministership, the BJP failed to make any headway on Thursday. After failing to secure the Sena’s support, a BJP delegation which met state governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari did not stake its claim to form the next government.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena moved all its 56 legislators to a hotel in Bandra, close to party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence, to prevent poaching. However, senior party leader Sanjay Raut refuted the possibility of poaching, saying no one would dare to break his party’s MLAs.
Mr Thackeray, earlier at a meeting at his residence, clarified that the talks would be held only if the BJP was ready to part with the chief minister’s post. The Sena has been insisting on the top post for the first 2.5 years of the government.
“If the BJP is not ready to keep its promise, there is no point in holding a discussion. We do not want to break the alliance; it is the BJP who has to now decide,” he told his MLAs.
The Shiv Sena MLAs passed a resolution authorising Mr Thackeray to take a “final decision” on formation of the government in the state.
Sources from the Sena confirmed that the party had received a positive response from the Congress and the Sharad Pawar’s NCP and was confident of getting the required numbers to form its government. “We also have options and we will prove the numbers on the floor of the House,” said Mr Raut.
Addressing a press conference
Shiv Sena MLAs on Thursday passed a resolution, authorising party chief Uddhav Thackeray to take a ‘final decision’ on government formation in Maharashtra
Why did the BJP leaders who met the governor today did not stake claim? Why did they return empty-handed? They want to create a situation for the imposition of Prez rule. The BJP does not have the numbers… We have the numbers… You will know on the floor of the House. — Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena
Devendra Fadnavis is the choice and he should lead the government. The BJP won 105 seats so the chief minister should be from the BJP. — Union minister Nitin Gadkari who flew to Nagpur to meet RSS’ Mohan Bhagwat
After the meeting of the Sena MLAs at Thackeray's residence ‘Matoshree’, all the legislators went to Rangsharda Hotel, close to the party chief’s home in suburban Bandra, where they have been shifted amid the ongoing uncertainty over government formation and fear of switching sides
It is necessary for all the MLAs to be together in the prevailing situation. Whatever decision Uddhavji takes will be binding on all of us — Sunil Prabhu, Shiv Sena MLA
Sena is an alliance partner of the BJP and part of Mahayuti. If it is afraid that the BJP will poach its MLAs, then we can very well understand how much morally corrupt the BJP is. — Sachin Sawant
Cong general secy
In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats
outside Raj Bhavan, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that the Mahayuti (grand alliance) had the mandate to form a new government. “But as the formation of the new
government has been delayed, we met the governor to discuss legal options. Besides, we have apprised him of the current political situation,” Mr Patil said. “We have discussed the available legal options with the governor. The BJP high command will decide the future political strategy,” Mr Patil added.
The term of the current Assembly ends on November 8 (Friday). If no party stakes claim to form the government by Friday evening, the governor may invite the single-largest party, which is the BJP, to form the government and prove its majority within a stipulated period. If that party fails, the second-largest party may get the chance to form the government. If all attempts at government formation fail, a caretaker government may be appointed, which will work until the formation of a new government. But it will not be authorised to take any policy decisions. The swearing-in of the newly-elected MLAs will be held during the tenure of the caretaker government.
CM Fadnavis is likely to submit his resignation to the governor on Friday as his term ends on Saturday. Reliable sources from the BJP informed that the party will not stake claim to form the new government unless it has support of more than 145 MLAs, which is not possible if Shiv Sena does not declare its support to the BJP-led government. “Even if the governor invites the BJP to form the government, we will not accept it if we are not sure about the clear majority,” the BJP leader said.