Maharashtra Govt Formation HIGHLIGHTS: Sena Shifts MLAs To Hotel; NCP, Congress Accuse BJP Of Poaching
Background
Mumbai: Even after two weeks of impasse, Maharashtra is still awaiting a government formation after the voters gave Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena a combined mandate to run the state. However, the deadlock between the two allies (BJP and Shiv Sena) has led to no government in sight in the state as both the parties are adamant on their terms of running the government. On one hand BJP wants Shiv Sena to back it with lesser terms and let Devendra Fadnavis lead the Chief Minister Office (CMO), Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, on the other hand, wants 50-50 government sharing formula.
The onus is on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to act if no party stakes claim to form the new government in Maharashtra, a legislature expert said here on Thursday, two days before the present Assembly's term ends. If no party comes forward, the governor can invite the single largest party to form the government, said Anant Kalse, former secrertary of the state legislature.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over the latter's demand for equal distribution of portfolios and sharing the chief minister's post. The BJP has rejected the Sena's demand for sharing the chief minister's post for two-and-a-half years each.
As the clock ticked towards the expiry of the present Maharashtra assembly's tenure on Friday, Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday accused the BJP of delaying the process of government formation in Maharashtra and creating a situation for the imposition of President's rule.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, he said the BJP should declare that it is unable to form the government and then the Shiv Sena will take further steps. Reiterating the Shiv Sena's demand for sharing the chief minister's post, he said the state's CM will be from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party only.
"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 President's rule. The BJP does not have the numbers," he said.
Downplaying the Sena's decision to shift all its MLAs to a hotel in suburban Bandra, Raut said, "Not all legislators have homes in Mumbai. So, the party has decided to ensure they get facilities under one roof. After Thackeray chaired a meeting of the Sena MLAs at his residence here, all the legislators were shifted to Rangsharda Hotel in suburban Bandra, amid the political uncertainty and fear of cross over.
Raut also said that there is no change in the Shiv Sena's stand on government formation and all the legislators support Uddhav Thackeray. He criticised state minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar for saying that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is "like a Shiv Sainik".
"If you think you are from the Shiv Sena, behave like one. For the Shiv Sena, the given word is very important. For us it is like 'pran jaaye par vachan na jaaye' (promise has greater value than life)," he said. The BJP should show it has 145 MLAs in its support and form the government, he said.
"When you say the mandate is for 'Mahayuti', the mandate is also for what was agreed upon when the alliance was formalised. The mandate is for having a Shiv Sena chief minister," he said. Earlier in the morning, Raut said there have been no talks yet between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uddhav Thackeray on government formation in the state.
The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the chief minister's post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation despite results of the October 21 Assembly polls giving the alliance a combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House. In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats.
It (the BJP) is the single-largest party... If it is so confident, it should stake claim to form the government and submit a list of 145 supporting MLAs. If they can't do it, they should publicly announce it and prepare to sit in Opposition: Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.
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