Maha Assembly Polls 2019: Fadnavis Took Oath As CM And Resigned, MVA Came And Went, Then Eknath Shinde Became CM — A Quick Recap
Maharashtra has experienced a whirlwind of power shifts and alliance changes over the past five years. Here’s a look at the major events following the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will be announcing the date of polls for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand today (15th October 2024). Many had expected the Maharashtra state assembly elections to be held along with the recently concluded Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Owing to the extra security blanket required in the valley, which was witnessing assembly polls after a gap of 10 years and after the abrogation of Article 370, the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had mentioned logistical challenges in providing security preparedness to the state of Maharashtra.
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As we eagerly await for the poll dates to be announced, Maharashtra has been through a ringer in terms of changes of hands in power and alliances in just the span of five years. Let us have a look at the major events after the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls:
Pre-Poll Alliance In 2019 Assembly Elections
Ahead of the 14th Maharashtra assembly election polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in an alliance with Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray under the banner of Mahayuti Alliance. The BJP contested 152 assembly seats and the alliance partner Shiv Sena contested 124 seats as per their pre-poll alliance agreement. On the other hand, Congress and NCP were in alliance contesting 125 seats each out of the 288 and kept 38 seats for their independents or smaller regional partners. AIMIM and Raj Thackeray-powered Maharashtra Maharashtra Navnirman Sena were not part of any alliance but contested assembly polls strategically.
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Maharashtra 2019 Assembly Election Results
24th October 2019
The results of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections announced, indicated a clear win for the incumbent BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti alliance. Together, the alliance crossed the majority mark of 145 seats by securing a total of 161 seats in the assembly. The BJP emerged as the larger party with 105 seats, while Shiv Sena claimed 56 seats.
On the other hand, the Opposition Congress-NCP alliance fell short of the majority, securing a combined total of 106 seats. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 44 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) took 54 seats.
The Initial Twist
Following the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, a political crisis unfolded due to differences between the BJP and Shiv Sena over a power-sharing agreement, specifically the Chief Minister’s post. The two parties, who had formed the Mahayuti alliance, disagreed on Shiv Sena’s demand for a rotational Chief Ministership, with each party holding the position for 2.5 years.
8th November 2019
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari first invited the BJP, the single largest party, to form the government. However, on 10th November, the BJP declined as it could not secure enough support to prove a majority. Owing to the fact that Shiv Sena was not ready to show their support to the pre-poll alliance partner.
11th November 2019
The Governor then turned to the second-largest party, Shiv Sena, offering them a chance to form the government. When Shiv Sena was unable to gather the required numbers, the Governor invited the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The NCP too failed to secure a majority.
With no party able to form a stable government, the Governor recommended the imposition of President's Rule. This recommendation was accepted by the Council of Ministers and the President of India, leading to the President's Rule being imposed in the state.
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Fadnavis Takes Oath As CM In The Wee Hours
23rd November 2019
In a dramatic turn of events on a quiet Saturday morning, the President's Rule in Maharashtra was revoked in the wee hours, and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister for a second consecutive term. NCP leader Ajit Pawar was appointed Deputy Chief Minister, sparking controversy as NCP chief Sharad Pawar discredited Ajit Pawar's decision to ally with the BJP, stating it was not endorsed by the party. Ajit Pawar was subsequently removed as the NCP's parliamentary party leader.
The next day, Shiv Sena, along with the NCP and INC, petitioned the Supreme Court, questioning the governor's discretion in inviting the BJP to form the government. They also demanded that the newly formed government prove its majority in the legislative assembly.
26th November 2019
The Supreme Court ordered the Fadnavis government to prove its majority by the next day. In a swift development, both Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis resigned from their posts as Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister, respectively, leaving the state's political landscape in flux once again.
After days of political turmoil in Maharashtra, a new alliance—Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—was formed between Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Indian National Congress (INC). Following extensive negotiations, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray was chosen to lead the alliance as Chief Minister.
28th November 2019
The MVA, including smaller parties such as the Samajwadi Party and Peasants and Workers Party of India, staked its claim to form the government. MVA leaders met with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and submitted a letter of support from their MLAs. Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra at a ceremony held at Shivaji Park, Mumbai.
30th November 2019
Two days later, on 30th November, Thackeray’s government passed the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly, securing 169 votes—well above the required majority of 145 MLAs. On 1st December, Congress leader Nana Patole was elected Speaker of the Assembly unopposed after the BJP withdrew its candidate.
Split In Shiv Sena, A Hiest Of MLAs
On 10th June 2022, the internal divisions within the Shiv Sena came to light when the BJP won 3 out of 6 Rajya Sabha seats, despite the strength of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The situation escalated on 20 June, when the BJP secured all 5 seats it contested in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, reportedly due to cross-voting by several Shiv Sena members.
Immediately following the MLC results, a group of 11 Shiv Sena MLAs, led by senior leader Eknath Shinde, moved to a hotel in Surat, Gujarat, signalling a potential split. Shinde soon claimed he had the backing of 40 MLAs. On 22 June, these rebel MLAs were relocated to Guwahati, Assam.
Shinde needed the support of at least 37 MLAs to avoid disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law. His demand was clear to Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray: break away from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and reunite with the BJP. Despite efforts by Uddhav Thackeray to reconcile, Shinde remained firm in his demands. On the same day, to win the confidence of the MLAs Uddhav Thackeray announced that he was willing to step down as the Chief Minister and leader of the alliance. Later, Thackeray vacated the official Chief Minister's residence, Varsha, and moved to his private home, Matoshree.
On 23 June, Shinde and 37 rebel MLAs declared him as the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party, further solidifying Shinde's position within the party. The number of rebel MLAs eventually rose to 46.
28th June 2022
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, demanding a motion of no confidence against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Fadnavis urged that the government prove its majority in the assembly.
29th June 2022
Governor Koshyari ordered a trust vote to be held by 30 June, requiring the Thackeray-led government to prove its majority. Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav immediately challenged the order in the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court refused to stay the no-confidence motion and ruled that the trust vote should proceed as scheduled, stating that “The floor of the House is the only way to settle all issues.”
Shinde Becomes New Maharashtra CM
Eknath Shinde, now backed by a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs, and Devendra Fadnavis staked a claim to form the new government. Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, respectively.
Shiv Sena 'Split': EC, SC Rulings
The battle over who would control Shiv Sena’s identity and legacy reached a decisive point on 17th February 2023. After months of infighting between two factions, the ECI ruled in favour of the group led by Eknath Shinde, officially allotting them the name "Shiv Sena" and the iconic party symbol of the bow and arrow.
On 11th May 2023, the Supreme Court termed the decisions of then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar as illegal. According to the ruling, Koshiyari's call for a floor test was unjustified, as it was made without any formal communication from the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs about their withdrawal of support from Uddhav Thackeray’s government.
The judgement further stated that the faction led by Eknath Shinde could not be recognized as a legitimate "split" and that the MLAs involved were liable for disqualification due to defection under the anti-defection law.
While the Court found irregularities in the governor's actions, it also clarified that it could not reinstate Uddhav Thackeray’s government because he had resigned as Chief Minister before the floor test.
Ajit Pawar Back In Power Splitting NCP
In the first attempt to be in power, Ajit Pawar had failed to secure backing from the MLAs as Sharad Pawar kept a tightrope in 2019, but in 2023 Ajit Pawar was able to defect from the party.
In July of 2023, a majority of elected representatives from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar defected from Sharad Pawar’s leadership to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. On July 2, 2023, Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra under the Eknath Shinde-led government.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Maharashtra BJP president, announced that 40 out of the 53 NCP MLAs supported the ruling government, underscoring the substantial backing Ajit Pawar received from his party members.
In a public appearance in September 2023, Ajit Pawar clarified that his faction's decision to align with the BJP and Shinde-led coalition was not motivated by selfish interests. He emphasized that nearly every legislator in the undivided NCP expressed a desire to join the government following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA in June 2022.
On February 7, 2024, the ECI officially recognized Ajit Pawar's faction by awarding them the NCP name and party symbol. Consequently, Sharad Pawar’s faction is now referred to as the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).
As of now, NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, holds a total of 41 MLAs from Maharashtra, 7 MLAs from Nagaland, and has 3 Members of Parliament in the Indian Parliament.
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