Behind the closed doors, if they can, why can't they?
Total Views |
CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar meet at Mumbai, being confident of proving the majority. RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale also exuded confidence that the BJP will be able to prove the majority in Maharashtra Assembly.
Mumbai, November 25: While the BJP leaders and the brother party leaders extended confidence on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party would prove the majority, the newly-anointed deputy CM Ajit Pawar met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis late night and held closed-door discussions.
This is after the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, Maharashtra government, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on a plea filed by the Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP combine seeking quashing of the governor's November 23 order inviting the BJP leader to form government.
The apex court directed the Centre to place before it on Monday morning the letters of the governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari inviting Fadnavis and of the BJP leader staking his claim to form the government in the state. The SC also said the issue of floor test, as demanded by the Congress-NCP-Sena combine, would be dealt with on Monday only after perusing the two letters, of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari inviting Fadnavis and of the BJP leader staking his claim to form the government, it has demanded.
Further, while the major political parties in Maharashtra are slugging it out to form a government amidst twists and turns, all eyes are now on which way 13 Independents and 16 MLAs from smaller parties will swing in the quest to achieve the 145-mark in the 288-member House in floor test.
The Shiv Sena, which is in talks with the Congress-NCP to form a government sans one-time ally BJP, claims to have the support of seven MLAs apart from its own flock of 56. The BJP, which emerged the largest party in the October 21 Assembly polls with 105 seats, claims to have the support of 14 more MLAs, taking its tally effectively to 119.
However, it is not certain how many MLAs, if any, are backing NCP leader Ajit Pawar who joined hands with the BJP on Saturday and took oath as deputy chief minister in the BJP-led government under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In the polls, results of which were declared on October 24, the BJP got 105 seats, followed by the Sena with 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44. Also, for their parts, the BJP and the opposition combine have claimed that they have the requisite numbers and would win the floor test comfortably.