The NCP and Congress in a meeting earlier today. (Express photo)
Maharashtra Government Formation: President Ramnath Kovind Tuesday gave assent to the imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra. Earlier today, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had submitted a report to the President recommending President’s rule in the state saying he is not satisfied that any party or coalition would be able to form a stable government.
On the other hand, the Shiv Sena moved the Supreme Court against the Governor for not granting an extension of three days to the party to get letters of support from NCP and Congress. Meanwhile, three senior Congress leaders including — Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal — have reached Mumbai to hold discussions with Pawar.
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Earlier, BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 105 seats post the October 24-Assembly elections verdict, did not stake claim after ally Sena denied support. Sena, with 56 seats in its kitty, was invited next by the Governor. The party has now adopted a wait and watch policy.
Maharashtra government formation LIVE updates: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray with Governor BS Koshyari on Monday. (Source: Shiv Sena)
The imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra was an unfortunate development, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. In a statement issued late evening, Fadnavis said: “In the 2019 Assembly Elections, people gave a clear mandate to the Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, Rashtirya Samaj Party, Republican Party of India, Ryat Kranti and Shiv Sangram. Despite the mandate, a government could not be formed. The political developments led to President’s rule, which is unfortunate.”
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After post-party committee meeting, BJP leader Sudhir Mugantiwar said President's rule was not expected and ensured that people's mandate is respected.
"President's rule is definitely something we did not expect. We will certainly try to ensure that people's mandate is respected. We will try to form a stable government. We will stand by the people of the state," he said.
Keeping the doors open for reconciliation, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday refused to say his party has severed all ties with its pre-poll ally. When asked by a reporter “is the BJP option completely finished”, Thackeray said:”Why are you in such a hurry? It’s politics. President has given us six months time.”
Thackeray, however, blamed the BJP for refusing to form government with the Sena.
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Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in a presser said even though Congress, NCP and Sena share different ideologies, they will find a way to work together. On the imposition of the President's rule, Uddhav said, "We asked for 48 hours, the President has given us six months."
"Yesterday we formally requested Congress-NCP for their support to form the government. We needed 48 hours, but the Governor didn't give us time," the Sena president said.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, among the three who flew down to Mumbai today, criticised the Centre's decision to impose the President's rule and questioned why Congress was not invited to form a government. "They don't follow rules," Patel said.
In a joint press conference, Congress and NCP said both parties met and have drafted a joint letter. Concluding the two and half hour meeting, the parties said they will discuss future strategy.
"The first formal proposal by the Sena was made to the congress and NCP on November 11. Before taking a decision on such an important matter we need to have a consultation with each other. A decision on talks with Sena will be taken once we have talks between ourselves," Patel said.
"We have fought elections together and we need to consult with our ally only then can we talk with the Sena," Sharad Pawar said.
In connection with Shiv Sena moving the Supreme Court against the Governor's refusal to grant an extension of time to get letters of support from NCP and Congress, the top court will not hear the matter today as learnt by The Indian Express.
The top court has asked the Counsel for the petitioner to mention the matter on Wednesday before the court.
Sena had filed the petition in the apex court for an urgent hearing.
The Congress-NCP meeting is underway. (Express photo)
After the imposition of President's rule in Maharashtra, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) claimed the state legislature is in suspended animation.
"Governor told the President that he has made all efforts to get a government made in the state but he could not see any possibility of a government forming. So he wrote to the president for president rule," the Ministry said.
The Shiv Sena is likely tyo file a second petition in the Supreme Court against the imposition of the President's rule in Maharashtra, PTI reported. "We will file a second petition today itself if the President's rule is imposed in the state," Advocate Sunil Fernandes, who filed the first petition on behalf of Shiv Sena, told PTI.
President Ramnath Kovind has given consent to the President's rule in Maharashtra by signing the notification.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, son Aditya Thackeray and party leaders are on their way to Hotel Retreat Malad where Sena MLAs have been lodged for five days.
The Shiv Sena, last week, herded all its legislators into Rang Sharda, a three-star hotel in suburban Mumbai, less than four kilometres from the party headquarters, while Congress MLAs are lodged in a hotel at Jaipur.
Senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal have reached Mumbai for the 5 pm meeting with Sharad Pawar. The Congress-NCP meeting will be held shortly.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had told reporters, "The party believes that it is not possible to form an alternative govt without the coming together of the three parties (Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena). If the three don't come together, there cannot be a stable govt in Maharashtra."
The BJP is set to hold it's meeting at 6 pm today.
Congress spokesperson said Maharashtra governor has committed grave travesty and has mocked the Constitutional process in recommending President's rule in the state, PTI reported.
Terming Maharashtra Governor as "unashamedly dishonest", the Congress spokesperson questioned Maharashtra Governor for 'arbitrary' allotment of time to NCP, Sena and BJP to prove support.
Governor Koshyari has submitted a report to President Ram Nath Kovind recommending President's rule in the state. In the report, Governor stated that he is satisfied that the State of Maharashtra cannot be carried out in accordance with the Constitution.
The Shiv Sena has moved the Supreme Court against the Maharashtra Governor's refusal to grant three days to get the letters of support from the NCP and Congress.
The petition filed by Sena says that the Governor's move is against the principles of natural justice, sources say. It further says, it had the support of two other parties and needed three days to show numbers.
Appearing for the Sena is Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal.
After a day-long discussion with its Maharashtra leadership on Monday, the Congress did not give the waiting Sena a letter of support, forcing Aaditya Thackeray and Eknath Shinde to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari with empty hands and seeking more time. a request Raj Bhavan didn’t accept.
The reluctance of the Congress to enter into an alliance with the Shiv Sena was stated to be one of the reasons that the Congress and NCP failed to give the Sena letters of support within the deadline. “Congress was not comfortable with the Sena’s stand on Ram temple construction and Uniform Civil Code,” said a Sena functionary.
NCP leaders convened a meeting with elected members and office bearers at Y B Chavan Centre in Mumbai. Meanwhile, BJP has scheduled a meeting of all elected members in recent elections and members of the state legislative council on November 14.
(Express photo)
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said party legislators passed a resolution after their meeting that Sharad Pawar will have the power to take decisions on behalf of the party.
"The party believes that it is not possible to form an alternative govt without the coming together of the three parties (Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena). If the three don't come together, there cannot be a stable govt in Maharashtra," Malik told reporters.
Malik said the Governor had called the NCP on Monday to stake a claim and has given time till today till 8.30 pm.
He said, Pawar will be meeting senior Congress leaders at 5 pm today, who are flying down from Delhi including Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal. " The government in Maharashtra can be formed only if three parties come together," Malik said.
Congress has shown its willingness to ally with the Shiv Sena. Party leader Manikrao Thakre has said that there will be a discussion between Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena in the coming days. He also said that modalities of a common minimum programme would be worked out between the three soon.
The Union cabinet meeting is happening hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Brazil to attend the 11th BRICS summit, the theme of which is “economic growth for an innovative future”. This comes hours before the ending of the deadline given to the NCP to stake a claim.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has recommended imposition of President's rule in the state, Raj Bhavan sources. On Monday, Governor had asked Sharad Pawar-led whether it can form the government and had given time today 8.30 pm. NCP leaders had apparently told the Governor that the time was too less to stake claim.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday met party leader Sanjay Raut, who underwent angioplasty at Lilavati Hospital here, and later said the Rajya Sabha member was recoverig fast but refused to comment on the political crisis in Maharashtra. BJP leaders Harshvardhan Patil and Ashish Shelar also met 57-year-old Raut at the hospital here following which the latter said it was a courtesy visit with "no political angle". The visit came in the backdrop of the stalemate over government formation continuing in the state even 19 days after the Assembly poll results were declared. Thackeray met Raut along with Patil.
The Union Cabinet is meeting shortly to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra. Sources told The Indian Express that President rule is likely to be explored as none of the parties was able to prove majority. Sources added that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has already sent a report in this regard to the Centre. Read more
Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "We will neither support a BJP led Govt nor a Shiv Sena led Govt, we reiterate our stand. I am happy now if Congress-NCP are supporting Shiv Sena, people will know who was cutting whose votes and who was colluding with whom."
Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi held talks with party's core team members A K Antony and Venugopal at her residence. Ahmed Patel also is learnt to have held a telephonic conversation with Pawar over working out modalities with the NCP on government formation. Kharge had earlier said the party leadership was in touch with Pawar and is holding further discussions with the NCP on Maharashtra government formation.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says, "NCP and Congress had a pre-poll alliance, and the final decision will be a collective decision. Our talks with NCP are on, and we will only move forward once discussions with them are done. Congress president Sonia Gandhi ji and Sharad Pawar Ji too held the discussion. We will hold further talks and will take a decision collectively."
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray arrives to meet party leader Sanjay Raut at Lilawati hospital today. Raut was admitted to hospital yesterday after he complained of chest pain.
"Congress President Smt.Sonia Gandhi spoke to Shri. Sharad Pawar today morning and deputed Shri. Ahamed Patel, Shri.Mallikarjun Kharge and myself for holding further discussions with Shri. Pawar," Venugopal tweeted. "We three are going to Mumbai now and will meet Shri.Pawar at the earliest." Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi held talks with party's core team members A K Antony and Venugopal at her residence.
After speaking with NCP's Sharad Pawar, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi authorised senior Congress leaders to meet Pawar for further talks on Maharashtra government formation. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal would be leaving for Mumbai to meet Sharad Pawar.
In a sarcastic remark on Shiv Sena, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane says, "This is the right time.....if Sena wants to grab power in state, it will now have to give support to NCP." Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal hopes Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena riddle will get resolved. he says he is hopeful of government formation.
NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on being asked if there is a meeting scheduled today between Congress and NCP: Who says there is a meeting? I don't know.
Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar to begin the meeting shortly. (Express photos: Amit Chakravarty)
Congress leader Manikrao Thakre has claimed that the party did not give its letter of support at the insistence of NCP Sharad Pawar who he claims had asked the party to wait for one more day. Thakre claimed that Pawar had said that the two parties should first discuss the details of the alliance between themselves and then hold talks with the Sena.
Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule met with Sanjay Raut, who is admitted in the hospital. Ajit Pawar said that they were waiting for a letter of support from the Congress the whole day yesterday which did not come as the latter sought more time. Pawar said that a decision on government formation will be taken only in consultation with congress.
NCP meet will begin shortly. Ajit Pawar said that they were waiting for a letter of support from the Congress the whole day on Monday which did not come as the latter sought more time. Pawar said that a decision on government formation will be taken only in consultation with the Congress.
NCP Chief Sharad Pawar denies of having knowledge of any meeting between NCP and Congress scheduled for today. On being asked about it, he says, "Who says there is a meeting? I don't know." (ANI)
Even as the Shiv Sena failed to muster numbers to stake claim for government formation in Maharashtra, its ailing leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday quoted lines of legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan to reaffirm his party's resolve to succeed and not give up.
Raut, who on Monday underwent angioplasty at a hospital here, tweeted two lines from Bachchan's famous poem: "Lehron se dar kar nauka paar nahi hoti, himmat karne waalon ki kabhi haar nahi hoti" (the boat that qualms the waves never gets across, those who dare do not lose).
The Rajya Sabha member further tweeted, "Hum honge kamyaab, zaroor honge" (we would succeed, definitely).
Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation of Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena MP). I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar has been assigned additional charge of Sawant's ministry.
Sawant, the lone Sena MP in Modi’s Cabinet, had quit on Monday after accusing the BJP of lying with regard to its power-sharing promises in Maharashtra, thereby forcing the allies to snap ties. “They have also hurt my party by lying…. Since there is no trust left, I have decided to resign,” Sawant said. Read More
NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that the decision will be collective adding that the Congress and the NCP contested together and are together. "Whatever decision will be taken, will be taken collectively, so we were waiting for Congress response yesterday but it didn't come, we can't decide on it alone. There is no misunderstanding, we contested together and are together," he said.
On being asked if there is a delay on part of Congress, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said, "I will talk to the Congress."
Meanwhile, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar will meet Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at Lilawati hospital today. Raut was admitted to hospital yesterday after he complained of chest pain. (ANI)
Kagda Chandya Padvi, Congress MLA from Maharashtra said, "Process is still underway, but the end result will be positive. Personally I think the three (Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP) parties will form the Govt and a Shiv Sena leader will be the CM."
Shiv Sena MP and executive editor of party mouthpiece Saamana Sanjay Raut, who was admitted to the Lilavati hospital on Monday afternoon after complaining of chest pain, took to Twitter to express that the party will succeed for sure ('Hum honge kaamyaab').
Top Congress leaders, who were supposed to visit Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a tie-up with the Shiv Sena, have cancelled their visit. Now, the state Congress leaders will hold discussions with the NCP at a meeting around 4 pm in Mumbai. On the other hand, Shiv Sena leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray will hold discussions with Sena MLAs about the development.
Senior Congress leader Manikrao Thakare said the visit of top Congress leaders to Mumbai has been cancelled on the request of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. "Pawarsaheb has said the meeting with top leaders can be held in two days time. Before that, he has said leaders of both the parties in Maharashtra will discuss the future course of action today," he said. Thakare said they might also hold discussion with the Shiv Sena leaders. "If required we will hold discussion with the Shiv Sena," he said. Read More
The reluctance of the Congress to enter into an alliance with the Shiv Sena was stated to be one of the reasons that the Congress and NCP failed to give the Sena letters of support within the deadline. “Congress was not comfortable with the Sena’s stand on Ram temple construction and Uniform Civil Code,” said a Sena functionary.
However, another party source said that the main issue was lack of time to obtain the signatures of all NCP legislators who were away in their constituencies, as they had been asked to be present in Mumbai only on Tuesday, November 12. The source said that it was NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s advise to Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray during their meeting today to seek more time from the Governor.
The Shiv Sena on Monday started off on a confident note by breaking away from the National Democratic Alliance with its lone representative in the Union Cabinet, Arvind Sawant, submitting his resignation. However as the day progressed, the confidence gave way to disappointment after Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari refused to grant the party an extension that it desperately sought to rustle up the required support from the Congress and the NCP to form the government. Read More
While Pawar’s impressive election campaign has set the stage for NCP’s resurgence in Maharashtra, senior party leaders say returning to power in Maharashtra is essential for the party to keep its flock together and rebuild. NCP draws most of its political clout from the government promoted cooperatives sector. Also, many of its senior leaders — including Pawar’s nephew Ajit, former deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and party MP Sunil Tatkare among others — continue to battle corruption allegations.
A possible alliance between the Shiv Sena and the NCP is not that big a surprise. It must be recalled that Shiv Sena patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray had backed Pawar’s bid to become the Prime Minister when he was in the Congress. Honouring his friendship with Pawar, Thackeray had also ensured that the Sena-BJP alliance does not put a candidate against Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule when she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha for the first time. When Pranab Mukherjee was nominated by the Congress as the Presidential candidate, it was Pawar who had accompanied him to Thackeray’s residence, Matoshri, to successfully elicit the Shiv Sena’s support to his candidature.
In Maharashtra, the possibility of Shiv Sena joining hands with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and forming a government in Maharashtra with Congress’s support has increased. Not wanting to be seen rushing to power in Maharashtra, the NCP waited for the BJP’s failure to form a government.
From facing an existential crisis and braving defections of several key leaders ahead of the Assembly polls, Pawar appears to have steered his party into the position of a kingmaker. By letting the Shiv Sena come to him, he again finds himself in the driver’s seat. Read the full Explained piece here
Sources said apart from ideological incompatibility, party leaders recalled the frosty relationship between Sonia and Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. The animosity was so acute that she was upset when former President Pranab Mukherjee went and met Thackeray in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election despite her advice against such an interaction. In his book “The Coalition Years”, Mukherjee revealed: “I took a decision to meet Thackeray despite Sonia Gandhi’s disapproval because I felt that the man who had broken away from his traditional coalition partner to support my candidature, should not feel humiliated.”
Thackeray was also very critical of Sonia until his death over her foreign origin. He and his party’s mouthpiece Saamna often lampooned Sonia and her son Rahul with Saamna once calling her “Italian mummy”.
“We cannot compromise on our ideology…it is a fact that the state leaders are demanding…and most of the leaders here are not in favour,” a senior leader told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, Uddhav rang up Sonia. She, however, did not give any commitment.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) met Monday morning to discuss the situation at Sonia’s 10, Janpath residence. It was decided that top Maharashtra leaders — former Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan and MPCC president Balasaheb Thorat, his predecessor Manikrao Thakre, Avinash Pande, Rajeev Satav and Rajni Patil — be called to Delhi for further discussions. Two Sena leaders, meanwhile, landed in Delhi and held talks with Ahmed Patel but he did not give any commitment. One of them was said to be Uddhav’s personal assistant Milind Narvekar.
Sonia Gandhi, as also most of the senior AICC leaders, sources said, were not comfortable with the idea of backing a Sena government arguing that the party cannot compromise on its ideology. The Congress high command, however, did not rule out any possibility publicly and kept the Sena waiting.
A day after the BJP conveyed to the Governor its unwillingness to form the government, action shifted to Jaipur and then Delhi. Most Congress MLAs, lodged in a hotel in Jaipur, and top leaders were prodding the central leadership to back the Sena. The Sena, too, signaled its intention to snap all ties with the BJP by asking Arvind Sawant, its minister in the Union Cabinet, to resign. The resignation, interestingly, has not been accepted until late tonight. For its part, the BJP observed restraint and did not hit out the Sena barring some stray tweets by some party members — a sign that all options were open.
At least two senior Congress leaders, meanwhile, told The Indian Express that they expected a deadlock and that the state could be heading for a spell of President’s Rule.
The question now is whether Sena will play second fiddle and join or support a government led by NCP. After all, it had broken its ties with the BJP after the latter had refused its demand for a rotational chief ministership. It is also to be seen whether the Congress will provide outside support or be part of an NCP-led Government in which the Sena is also an ally.
Sources in the Congress said the party would certainly back an NCP-led Government. The Congress has now left to it the NCP which was given a day’s time by the Governor to secure the requisite numbers and negotiate with the Sena.
The Congress Monday virtually dashed Shiv Sena’s hopes of forming a government under its leadership in Maharashtra as the party high command chose ideological compulsions over practical politics. It was classical Congress at play as the party’s central leadership did not buckle under pressure from its MLAs, its Maharashtra leadership, and a forceful overture by the Sena with Uddhav Thackeray speaking to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Sources said both Sonia and former chief Rahul Gandhi were not in favour of backing a Sena-led government. Read More
Claiming that his party was waiting for a formal letter of support from the Congress, NCP leader Ajit Pawar said they would reach out to Sena. “We will have a discussion with Uddhav Thackeray before we go to the Governor… We had been given a mandate to sit in Opposition, but we also have a responsibility of giving a stable government to the state at this time,” he said. Read More
While NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s impressive election campaign had set the stage for NCP’s resurgence in Maharashtra, there has been a vocal section of senior party leaders that believe that returning to power in the state was essential for the party to rebuild and keep its flock together. Senior leaders of the party will meet in Mumbai Tuesday morning to review the evolving political situation yet again.
The NCP leadership was in meetings through the day with its core committee conferring in Mumbai. Until the evening, when the Congress leadership backed out from announcing its support to the Shiv Sena, the NCP had been claiming that it was in a position to form an alternative government in the state. “We are willing to form an alternate government and we had a discussion on this regard in our core committee meeting as well. We are, however, waiting for a decision to be made by our alliance partner Congress,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.