Ally quits, Deshmukh govt in trouble

With PWP withdrawing its support, the strength of the Democratic Front (DF) coalition in the Assembly is 146, which includes two Independents. The figure is just the number required for simple majority in the House of 288.

Now if the Janata Dal withdraws its two MLAs from the DF and the two Independents refuse to rally behind it, the government will be reduced to a minority. In that case, it has no alternative but to woo the 10 other Independents and induct them as ministers to keep the government afloat.

At present, some eight Independents are ready to side with the government, sources said. They include Harshvardhan Patil, Vasant Itkelwar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Hitendra Thakur, Vinayak Patil, Shivajirao Gorthekar, Shivaji Kardile and Digambar Bagal.

Significantly, N.D. Patil said the nine MLAs of the Left parties will not support an alternative combination led by Sena-BJP. ‘‘In that case, we will prefer fresh election as the voters have given a fractured mandate,’’ he said. The Sena-BJP alliance has a strength of 125 in the Assembly, it needs to muster support of at least 20 more MLAs to form a government.

The possibility is considered remote by observers because apart from the 12 Independents, this would mean the Sena-BJP would have to woo MLAs away from parties that are ideologically opposed to it.

Patil said the three parties in the Left Front — the PWP, the CPM and the Janata Dal (S) — who together have 9 MLAs will hand over a letter to Governor P.C. Alexander saying the Congress-led government no longer enjoys their support.

However, the Janata Dal today failed to take a decision on withdrawing support. The CPM has already withdrawn support to the government. The PWP’s Cabinet Minister and two Ministers of State had quit the Ministry on May 30 in protest against the reinduction of NCP MLA Sunil Tatkare.

The party which has five members in the legislature, turned against Tatkare when he engineered the defeat of a PWP candidate in zilla parishad elections in Raigad which is a PWP stronghold.

Sources said Deshmukh was planning to induct five to six Independent MLAs.