Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar/File)
Maharashtra Govt Formation HIGHLIGHTS: Clearing the air over NCP’s participation in government formation in Maharashtra, party chief Sharad Pawar Monday said his party has not been approached by Shiv Sena and the onus of forming the government lies on the BJP, PTI reported. Pawar, who met Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, said the mandate given to NCP by people is to sit in opposition but one cannot speak about future.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan on Monday. After the visit, Raut said though he discussed the current political situation in Maharashtra with the governor, it was a courtesy visit. He also said whoever has the majority should form the government.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter’s residence in Delhi earlier today.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. (File)
Sharad Pawar: "I met with Sonia Gandhi in Delhi today. I briefed her on the political situation in Maharashtra. We have not discussed exactly about the formation of government."
NCP chief Sharad Pawar: BJP responsible for forming the government in Maharashtra; Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has not sought NCP support.
Pawar also denied the possibility of him returning as the chief minister of Maharashtra.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar: Mandate to NCP given by people is to sit in opposition but you cannot speak about future.
Independent MLA Ravi Rana, who has extended support to the BJP in Maharashtra, on Monday claimed that "some 25 MLAs" of the Shiv Sena were in touch with him over formation of the next government.
The MLA from Badnera in Amravati district dubbed the Sena as "very arrogant" and claimed the Uddhav Thackeray-led party will split and nearly two dozen MLAs will join the BJP if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis forms the next government without its saffron ally. The Sena has 56 MLAs.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the MLA said, "The Shiv Sena has been very arrogant in the last five years. Fadnavis should put a check to it.
"In fact, there are some 25 MLAs of the Shiv Sena who are in touch with me for government formation. If Fadnavis forms a government without the Shiv Sena, in the next two months there will be a split in the Sena and some 25 MLAs would join the party." (PTI)
NCP Chief Sharad Pawar arrives at Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi's residence on Monday.
After the meeting with the governor at Raj Bhavan, Raut said though he discussed the current political situation in Maharashtra with the governor, it was a courtesy visit.
Shiv Sena leaders Ramdas Kadam and Sanjay Raut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. (Express photo)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut arrives at Raj Bhawan to meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Amid the stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra, a Marathi daily, widely seen inclined towards the RSS, on Monday likened Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut to a clown and 'Betaal', the mythological ghost who challenged King Vikramaditya with his witty riddles.
Without naming Raut, it called him a "clown" and said "his attempt to portray a picture that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is isolated in the BJP is nothing but pure entertainment".
It also said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray frequently asserted that its priority was farmers' interests. "But it is unfortunate to see that he is not walking the talk when it comes to actual government formation," it added. (PTI)
Maharashtra Tourism and FDA Minister Jaykumar Rawal said, "The party workers said senior leaders of the BJP should not have forged an alliance (with the Sena)...give us a chance again, we will contest again and win this time," said Rawal, who is considered close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"Many of them are angry as we could not contest in some seats due to pact with the Sena and lost with a thin margin in some segments," he added. (PTI)
If the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, which won the majority mandate in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, fails to form the government before November 8, the state may well head towards the President's rule, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had said Friday. The tenure of the existing Legislative Assembly ends on November 8.
The Shiv Sena had retorted to his remarks, saying the statement was “undemocratic and unconstitutional”, and asked whether it was a “threat” to newly-elected MLAs.
The Shiv Sena has decided to meet Maharashtra Governor Monday evening to discuss the current political situation emerging out of the face-off between the two saffron parties in the state. The party, however, has denied that it will stake claim to form the government but will apprise the governor of its stand.
At a press conference on Monday, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the Sena will not stake the claim but want the governor to invite the single-largest party, the BJP, to form the government. “And if the BJP fails to prove its majority, the Sena will then prove a majority. We will pass the ‘agnipariksha’ on the floor of the House,” said Raut, adding that they will clear their stand to the governor during the meeting.
Fadnavis arrives at residence of BJP Maharashtra incharge Bhupendra Yadav in the national capital.
Amid the power tussle between the Sena and the BJP, the NCP has been maintaining that it would sit in the Opposition. While Raut earlier in the day claimed the Sena would soon have its chief minister with the support of “170 MLAs”, Pawar said he was “unaware” how the Sena leader had arrived at this number. “The Congress-NCP and other allies have a strength of 110 seats (which includes Congress’ 44 and NCP’s 54). And we have a mandate to be in the opposition,” Pawar said.
The NCP leadership has been sending mixed messages to the Sena over the issue of supporting the party in case it decides to break off its alliance with the BJP. Last week NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said that his party was not in talks with the Sena after reports that the latter was exploring options of staking claim to form the government with the help of the NCP and Congress. Pawar also said that the central leadership of the Congress has been so far been inimical to the idea of having any pact with the Sena.
After the meeting today, Fadnavis said said, "I urged the Centre to extend maximum help to the farmers in Maharashtra. Shah will convene a meeting with the crop insurance companies soon." The CM also pointed at meeting that crop insurance companies should come forward and help the farmers.
Malik continued to tempt the Sena by saying that the state could see the formation of new political equations. “We will clear our stand after the Sena initiates talks on a coalition with the NCP. So far, no discussion has taken place between the two parties. We are presently behaving as the opposition only. But if the Sena changes its course, then new political equations can come into play,” he added.
The NCP, on the other hand, continued to confound the Shiv Sena sending mixed signals throughout Sunday over possible support to the party if it decides to break away from the BJP and stake claim to power. “Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut is saying a Sena chief minister will take oath on Shiv Theerth. If the Sena decides then any eventuality is possible in Maharashtra. The stand that the Sena now takes is important,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
Devendra Fadnavis met Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter's residence on Monday.
"I don't want to comment on anything anyone is saying on the situation. All I want to say is that the new governmentwill be formed soon, I am confident," Fadnavis told reporters.
Addressing the media thereafter, Fadnavis said his meeting with Amit Shah was based on the monsoon situation in Maharashtra.
The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, said that it will not stake claim to form the government but will apprise the governor of its stand during its meeting later in the day. He added that he will will urge the governor to invite the single largest party to form the government. "And if the BJP fails to prove it's majority, the Sena will then prove the majority. We will pass the 'agniprikasha' on the floor of the House," he said, adding that they will clear their stand to the governor during the meeting.
Fadnavis met Amit Shah in New Delhi today.
Actor Anil Kapoor, who was in Pune on Sunday, said he was better off playing the role of chief minister on the silver screen rather than in real life. “Mein Nayak filmon mein hi theek hoon… (I am better off in films)” he said, when asked about whether he would like to become the chief minister given the current tug-of-war over the post between the BJP and the Shiv Sena.
The BJP and Shiv Sena, which contested the October 21 state elections together, have been locked in a bitter battle over sharing of the chief minister's post and are yet to start formal talks over government formation. In the polls to 288-member state Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and Congress-44.
Fadnavis has arrived in the national capital to meet Amit Shah.
In the post, Sanjay Raut also greeted his followers with the slogan "Jai Hind", even as the party has since long been insisting on using the salutation- "Jai Maharashtra".
Meanwhile, Raut today tweeted a photo of him with party chief Uddhav Thackeray along with a message, saying "journey is enjoyable before reaching the goal". The post reads: "Lakshya tak pahunchne se pahle safar me mazaa aataa hai."
Amid the impasse, the Sena appeared to have reached out to the NCP as its senior leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday disclosed to reporters a message sent to him by Raut. The message read: "Namaskar mi Sanjay Raut. Jai Maharashtra". Reacting to it, Pawar said, "This means I should call him. I will call and check."
Sena's Sanjay Raut said his scheduled meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday evening will be a "courtesy call" with no political motive. Raut said the governor was like the state's guardian and therefore, he would meet him to talk on various issues. "It will be a courtesy meet and not political. I am going to talk to the governor on various issues. We will also inform him about our stand," he told reporters in Mumbai.
Asked by mediapersons in Aurangabad if the Sena would form the government alone or join other parties, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Sunday said, “You will get to know in the coming days.”
On Sunday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said he would meet the Maharashtra Governor today. “I will ask him to invite the single largest party and then give a chance to other parties,” Raut told The Indian Express, adding that there would be a Sena CM and the oath-taking ceremony would take place at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
A senior NCP functionary said, “Pawar has set his new target as regaining the organisation’s lost grounds in zilla parishad polls next year. Any attempt to join hands with the Sena will prove detrimental.” The Congress and NCP are also wary of hobnobbing with the Sena as the Ayodhya verdict nears, a point raised by Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Sunday.
Sharad Pawar’s meeting with Sonia comes amidst increasing clamour within the NCP that it and the Congress align with the Sena to keep the BJP out. However, NCP and Congress seniors are wary that the Sena’s outreach is no more than a ploy to drive a harder bargain with the BJP.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar will also meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital today.
BJP sources in Delhi said the party is confident a BJP-Sena government would be in place by this week, under Fadnavis.
CM Fadnavis is travelling to the Capital on Monday to meet BJP chief Amit Shah. This will be his first visit to Delhi since the election results, which gave the BJP fewer seats than it expected. Fadnavis told reporters he was going to the national to seek relief for farmers hit by unseasonal rains from the National Disaster Response Fund, which falls under Shah’s ministry. However, sources said, the CM would discuss with the BJP chief strategies to bring the Sena on board, with delay in government formation stretching embarrassingly.
With talks with ally Shiv Sena stuck over chief ministership, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will travel to Delhi to meet BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday. The day will also see a meeting between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Capital as well. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut is expected to meet the Governor in Mumbai. Follow our live blog for all the latest updates.