NCP chief Sharad Pawar said his nephew Ajit Pawar’s decision to ally with the BJP was a ‘personal’ one and not taken by the party. (Express photo by Pradip Das)
Maharashtra Government Formation Live News Updates: The Supreme Court will hear the joint plea of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena Sunday. The plea challenges the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to allow the formation of the BJP-led government. Also, Ajit Pawar has been removed as the leader of the NCP’s Legislative Wing by the party MLAs who met in Mumbai and Jayant Patil has been named as the new leader.
The petition states that the ‘Governor has belittled the constitutional office of the Governor and has allowed himself to be a pawn in BJP’s illegal usurpation of power’.
Taking note of the sudden political developments in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said his nephew Ajit Pawar’s decision to ally with the BJP was a “personal” one and not taken by the party. He also said his party will initiate action against Ajit without fail. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member Assembly, while the NCP had garnered 54 seats. The BJP needed the support of at least 10 MLAs to stake claim.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray after the meeting with NCP and Congress, in Mumbai on Friday. (Express Photo: Nirmal Harindran)
Highlights
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs arrive at Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai.
Justice NV Ramana, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Sanjiv Khanna to hear tomorrow at 11: 30 am the joint plea of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress against the decision of Maharashtra Governor inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form the government on Nov 23.
Bharatiya Janata Party is of the view that Ajit Pawar's appointment as NCP legislative party leader was valid and appointment of Jayant Patil in his place today is invalid.
The Supreme Court will hear the joint plea of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena tomorrow. The plea challenges the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to allow the formation of the BJP-led government. The petition states that the 'Governor has belittled the constitutional office of the Governor and has allowed himself to be a pawn in BJP’s illegal usurpation of power'.
"Devendra Fadnavis has mislead the Maharashtra Governor. He must resign. NCP has the numbers, only 4-5 NCP MLAs are not in touch with the party. Ajit Pawar should return to his home," says Chavan.
"Five of our MLAs are not in contact with us, 6 are about to arrive&rest have arrived. On the basis of numbers we have, we'll defeat the government in election of speaker itself. After which, Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will definitely be formed in Maharashtra," Malik told ANI.
NCP leader Nawab Malik talking to mediapersons after party meeting: "A resolution was passed unanimously that party does not endorse Ajit Pawar's decision and he has been removed as NCP legislative party leader. Till the election of a new leader, Jayant Patil is given responsibilities of the post," says Malik.
(Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
PTI reported that atleast nine NCP MLAs who attended swearing-in of Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra returned to the party fold and expressed solidarity with party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday evening.
With Maharashtra in a political bind following a coup by NCP's Ajit Pawar who joined hands with the BJP on Saturday, MLAs of the ally Congress are likely to fly to Jaipur on Sunday to ward off any poaching bid, a party leader told PTI.
Ajit Pawar has been removed as the leader of the NCPs Legislative Wing by the party MLAs who met in Mumbai. Jayant Patil named as the new leader.
Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Saturday advised the Shiv Sena to "take to the streets" of Mumbai to protest against the formation of a new BJP-led government in Maharashtra. He also claimed that NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who took oath as deputy chief minister along with CM Devendra Fadnavis, had joined the new government alone, and no other NCP MLA was with him. The Sena "should hit the streets to protect the Constitution", Singh said. "This is a challenge before (Shiv Sena chief) Uddhav Thackeray, that he show the Shiv Sena's strength in Mumbai," Singh told reporters here. (PTI)
The BJP on Saturday asserted that it had the "electoral and moral" mandate to form a government in Maharashtra and brushed aside the criticism of its alliance with NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was accused by the saffron party in the past of corruption, saying the tie-up was guided by the "given situation". BJP leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the Congress-NCP and the Shiv Sena, saying those who were "dead opposed" to each other joined hands to "grab" power, while the saffron party and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had won the popular mandate to form government. (PTI)
CM Devendra Fadnavis in front of the BJP Headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday evening. (Express photo by Pradip Das)
"The facts, in this case, demonstrate that the Hon’ble Governor has belittled the constitutional office of the Governor and has allowed himself to be a pawn in BJP’s illegal usurpation of power,” Sena wrote in the petition.
Shiv Sena has said in the petition that "issue appropriate directions in terms of summoning a special session of the Fourteenth Maharashtra Legislative Assembly with the only agenda of administering oath to the MLAs, immediately followed by the holding of a floor test on 24.11.2019"
"It is submitted that the Hon’ble Governor has acted in a partisan manner and has made a mockery of the high office of the Governor. It is respectfully submitted that the Governor’s actions between the intervening night of 22.11.2019 and 23.11.2019 culminating to the swearing in on the 23.11.2019 are a text book example of the Governor acting at the behest of a political party in power at the Centre," the Shiv Sena's petition stated.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has moved the Supreme Court to file a writ petition against BJP's government formation in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is presently holding a meeting with NCP MP Sunil Tatkare and NCP MLAs Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif at his brother Sriniwas Pawar's residence; Security has been heightened outside the residence of Sriniwas Pawar.