Maharashtra Politics Updates: Always Projected Fadnavis As Chief Minister, Says Amit Shah

President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra, only for the third time in the state's history, after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent.

Article 356 of the Constitution, commonly known as President’s rule, deals with “failure of constitutional machinery in the state”. It can be imposed for six months, and can be extended till up to three years, with Parliamentary approvals every six months.

Maharashtra Governor BS Kohsyari had given NCP, the third largest party in the state, time till 8:30 p.m. to stake claim for forming a government. However, the governor then recommended President’s rule “having been satisfied” that the government of Maharashtra cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.

That, however, failed to deter the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to hold talks about a possible alliance with Shiv Sena. Senior leaders of the two parties met today to discuss the alliance.

It was decided that the Congress and NCP will first reach consensus on issues among themselves before they enter into any conversation with the Shiv Sena.

“We will first discuss it among ourselves. Only then will we decide whether, principally, we will go with Shiv Sena or not,” senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said in a joint press conference after a meeting between the leaders of the two parties.

Shiv Sena established serious conversation with the NCP and Congress for the first time only yesterday, Patel said. Hence, it is imperative to get clarity on all issues before taking such an important decision, he added.

Watch the Congress-NCP joint conference here.

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, who was also present at the press conference, said that they will need to settle on a smooth running strategy and the agenda of any potential government before moving forward with talks.

His views were mirrored by Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, who addressed the media soon after the Congress-NCP joint conference ended.

Thackeray saw the President's rule as a boon for government formation talks as it now grants them more time. “We had asked for 48 hours,” he said. “But the governor's decisions today means that we now have six months.”

Thackeray said that if BJP can ally with Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, that has an opposing ideology, then even the Shiv Sena can consider such options.

Watch what the Shiv Sena chief had to say here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, along with Prime Minister Modi, always projected Devendra Fadnavis would be the chief minister if their alliance with Shiv Sena wins, said Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview to news agency ANI.

Other highlights from the interview:

• Maharashtra governor has not done anything that goes against constitutional norms in any way.
• NCP conveyed its inability to gather the numbers by 8:30 p.m. in a letter at 11:30 a.m. Having received that letter, the governor did not need to wait till 8:30 p.m.
• Governor did not act in a hurry; 18 days were given and no party came with majority support.
• If someone has majority support today, they can stake claim before the governor

Maharashtra Congress leaders meet Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at Lilavati Hospital, according to news agency ANI’s official Twitter handle. Raut was admitted at the hospital on Nov. 11 after he complained of chest pain.

Shiv Sena has decided not to mention the Governor’s refusal to grant extra time in its Supreme Court plea.

Advocate Sunil Fernandes, who had filed the petition on behalf of the Shiv Sena, told PTI that the Supreme Court had asked them to mention the writ petition at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The lawyer said another petition challenging the imposition of President's rule in the state was being readied but were non-committal when the fresh petition will be filed.

Ahmed Patel said that Shiv Sena established serious conversation with the NCP and Congress for the first time only yesterday.

First the NCP and Congress will deliberate on some issues before getting in talks with Shiv Sena, Patel added.

NCP leader Praful Patel has said that it is important to get clarity of all issues before taking any important decision on an alliance with the Shiv Sena.

“The future course of action will be decided once consensus reached on all issues,” he said.

The Supreme Court refused to accord an urgent hearing to the Shiv Sena challenging Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari’s decision to deny them three more days to garner support and stake claim.

The apex court’s registry informed Sena’s lawyer Sunil Fernandes that it was not possible to constitute a bench on Tuesday itself. The registry asked the lawyer to mention the matter for hearing on Wednesday before the court of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

Fernandes also said that a second petition is being readied challenging the imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra. The decision when to file the fresh petition will be taken on Wednesday, he said.

Imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra on Tuesday is the first instance in the 59-year-old history of the state when Article 356 has been invoked due to inability of political parties to form a government after an assembly election.

Overall, this is third time that Maharashtra has come under the central rule. The present-day Maharashtra came into existence on May 1, 1960.

The first of it was in February 1980 when the Indira Gandhi government dismissed the Progressive Democratic Front government headed by Sharad Pawar. Assembly election held in June that year saw the Congress returning to power in the politically important state and AR Antulay becoming Chief Minister.

Pawar was Chief Minister from 1978 to 1980. He had formed the PDF after toppling the Vasantdada Patil-led Congress government in 1978. Pawar was a minister in the Patil government.

Gandhi dismissed the PDF government after returning to power at the Centre in the 1980 Lok Sabha polls.

The state saw the second spell of President’s rule after 34 more years. President’s rule was imposed after Prithviraj Chavan resigned as Chief Minister following withdrawal of support by ally NCP to the Congress-led government on Sept. 28, 2014.

The two allies had drifted apart on the issue of equal sharing of assembly seats and chief minister’s post. The 2014 assembly election was held when the state was under President’s rule.

Leaders of Congress and NCP held a joint meeting in Mumbai.

President’s Rule has been imposed in Maharashtra after the approval of President Ram Nath Kovind. The Assembly will remain in suspended animation.

Article 356 of the Constitution, commonly known as President’s rule, deals with “failure of constitutional machinery in the state”.

Maharashtra Governor BS Kohsyari had given NCP, the third largest party in the state, time till 8:30 p.m. to stake claim for forming a government. However, the governor then recommended President’s rule “having been satisfied” that the government of Maharashtra cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.

The Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson said that the Maharashtra Governor said that none of the parties were in a position to form a government more than 15 days after the election results.

Senior leaders of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel and KC Venugopal arrived in Mumbai to meet NCP Chief Sharad Pawar.

The Shiv Sena has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari’s decision to not grant them additional time to stake claim for a government.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal will be appearing for the Sena.

Sena’s writ petition is challenging the “arbitrary, unconstitutional, unreasonable, capricious and malafide decision” of the governor to deny them three days to submit letters of support and prove its majority for forming a government.

The Sena is arguing that the governor did not take any action for 18 days to invite any political party to form the government, even when BJP, the single largest party, were short of majority by 40 seats.

The petition claims that the Governor declined Sena’ request for “unknown reasons” and instead invited NCP to show their majority.

Sena added that it is in advanced talks with the NCP and Congress for government formation and has also acquired support of eight independent MLAs. “Despite this the Governor has chosen to fast-forward the process, thereby depriving Shiv Sena an opportunity to form the government,” the petition said.

Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari has submitted a report recommending President’s rule in the state.

Yesterday, the governor had given NCP time till 8:30 p.m. tonight to stake claim for forming a government.

Article 356, commonly known as President’s rule, deals with “failure of constitutional machinery in the state”.

The Union Cabinet recommended President's rule in Maharashtra where no political party has been able to form a government after the assembly polls last month, PTI reported citing unnamed sources.

At the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet decided to recommend to the president to impose central rule in the state, according to PTI.

After the meeting, the prime minister left for Brazil to attend the BRICS summit.

The NCP has decided to empower Sharad Pawar to take a decision on forming a government in the state, party leader Nawab Malik said in a press conference in Mumbai.

Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal will meet Pawar at 5 p.m. today, after which, a final decision will be taken, Malik added.

The Maharashtra governor has given NCP till 8:30 p.m. tonight to stake claim for forming a government in the state which has been in a flux since the assembly elections results were declared on Oct. 24.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, apparently to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra, PTI reported without citing the source of the information.

The prime minister will leave for Brazil this afternoon to attend the BRICS summit.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday spoke to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and authorised three senior party leaders to hold further talks on the issue of government formation in Maharashtra.

As hectic deliberations continued, Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal would be leaving for Mumbai later in the day for holding discussions with Pawar.

Earlier in the morning, Sonia Gandhi again spoke to Pawar on the phone before asking her party leaders to meet Pawar in Mumbai.

Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi held talks with party's core team members A K Antony and Venugopal at her residence.

(Source: PTI)

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the NCP and Congress had a pre-poll alliance and the final decision shall be a collective decision.

“Our talks with NCP are on and we will only move forward once discussions with them are done,” Kharge told ANI.

NCP President Sharad Pawar said that he has spoken to the Congress president, but not yet with Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar said that Congress will have to be on board for any government formation.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar today visited Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, PTI reported, adding that the former was accompanied by his grandnephew and MLA Rohit Pawar.

Raut had complained of chest pain on Monday following which he underwent angioplasty, a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery, the news agency reported.

“What transpired between the two leaders during the meet, which came in the backdrop of the political crisis in the state, was not immediately known,” the report said.

With inputs from PTI

Senior Congress leaders K C Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge, who were supposed to come to Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss modalities of support to the Shiv Sena for government formation in Maharashtra, have deferred their visit, PTI reported quoting Former Maharashtra Congress President Manikrao Thakare.

“The Maharashtra Congress leaders will discuss the broad contours of government formation with their NCP counterparts on Tuesday before inviting the Shiv Sena for talks,” Thakare told PTI.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday discussed the state's political situation with Pawar and accordingly, it was decided that the state NCP and Congress leaders ‘will discuss the terms and conditions and a 'common minimum programme’ for government formation’ later in the day, the news agency reported quoting Former Maharashtra Congress President

“The Shiv Sena leaders are likely to join the discussions after the Congress and NCP come to an agreement. Sharad Pawar has informed the Congress central leadership that he would come to Delhi and finalise details with them,” Thakare told PTI.

Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam blamed Bhartiya Janta Party and Shiv Sena for 'bringing Maharashtra on the doorstep of President rule'.

“Congress has no moral responsibility to form a govt in Maharashtra. Putting any blame on us for the instability is meaningless,” Nirupam said in a tweet.

NCP has said that it will hold talks with its ally Congress to take a call on whether they would form the government with Sena. The Congress too said that they have spoken with Sharad Pawar but will hold further discussions with the NCP.

Earlier on Monday, the Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari rejected Shiv Sena's request to grant them an additional 48 hours to finish final formalities and stake claim. However, the governor did say that Sena's claim stands legal.

For all the developments from Monday, click here.