Karnataka ‘lessons learnt’, BJP confident of numbers in Maharashtra trust vote

“We have learnt our lessons from Karnataka and we will not stake claim unless we are sure of the numbers,” a senior BJP leader, who did not want to be identified, said.

In a similar situation in Karnataka, B S Yediyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister in May 2018 after the BJP emerged as the single-largest party but fell short of a majority. Governor Vajubhai Vala had given Yediyurappa 15 days to prove his majority, but the decision was challenged by the Congress-JD(S) combine in Supreme Court.

In a late-night hearing, the court asked the BJP government to take a trust vote in the Karnataka Assembly immediately. Yediyurappa resigned before the trust vote, as the party could not manage the number.

“Let the political drama unravel in Mumbai,” the leader said, referring to developments in the NCP camp. “When it comes to the floor test, BJP will prove its majority.”

While opposition parties led by the Congress on Monday disrupted proceedings in both Houses of Parliament over the political developments in Maharashtra, top BJP leaders took strong exception to the Congress-NCP’s charges of horse-trading and murder of democracy in the state. “Murder of democracy actually took place when they proposed to make (Shiv Sena chief) Uddhav Thackeray, who contested the election in a pre-poll alliance with BJP, the chief minister… What horse-trading are they talking about? They took the whole stable away,” a top BJP leader said, referring to the NCP-Congress alliance’s attempts to form the government with the Sena.

BJP leaders also pointed out that in their letter to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari staking claim to form the government, the three-party coalition could not mention their chief minister candidate.

Sources in the opposition parties said the letter staking claim was sent just to ensure that the Governor does not recommend President’s Rule by citing that no party had staked claim.

In the October 21 election to the 288-member Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats and the Sena got 56. Opposition NCP and the Congress won 54 and 44 seats, respectively.

But the Sena refused to support BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister, saying that the post of CM should be split for two-and-a-half years each.