09:12 (IST)
Parties get into a huddle as 7.30 pm deadline nears
As the deadline set by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari for the Shiv Sena to stake claim to form a government in Maharashtra, other parties involved in the political scenario in the state have called meetings.
The Congress will be meeting at interim party chief Sonia Gandhi's Delhi residence at 10 am. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) core committee will meet at 10 am too, with Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in attendance.
A day after stepping back from forming the government, caretaker Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called a core committee meeting at his Mumbai residence.
08:50 (IST)
Banners outside Matoshree support Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray for CM post
Two banners outside the Thackeray residence in Mumbai’s Bandra support both Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray for the chief ministerial position.
The banner in support of Aaditya even said that he will take oath in a few days. The other banner in support of Uddhav says Maharashtra needs a chief minister like him.
Maharashtra: A poster which reads 'Maharashtra needs Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena chief) as CM' has been put up outside Matoshree (Thackeray residence), in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/Ez2UiVb38r
— ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2019
08:27 (IST)
Congress leaders to meet soon, says Mallikarjun Kharge
With the governor calling Shiv Sena to stake a claim to form the government in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is likely to approach the Congress and NCP for support. Senior Conrgess leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that party leaders will meet at 10 am today.
"Our original decision and the decision of the people is that we should sit in opposition. That is the present position," he told ANI.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Maharashtra govt formation: There's a meeting at 10 am today. We will proceed according to instruction from high command. But our original decision & decision of the people is that we should sit in opposition, that is the present position. pic.twitter.com/9Z6YLBTI7m
— ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2019
08:05 (IST)
Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant resigns as Union minister
Criticising the BJP for taking strikes in the "pursuit o falsehood", Union Minister and Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant resigned from the Central cabinet. "Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a power-sharing formula was decided, which was agreed upon by both the Shiv Sena and BJP. Denying this formula is a formidable threat of the Sena. Shiv Sena only sides with the truth. Why stay in Delhi in this environment of falsehood?" he said announcing his resignation.
Sawant will address a press conference in Delhi at 11 am.
07:28 (IST)
Uncertainty prevails as parties ignore 9 November government formation deadline
Eighteen days after the Assembly poll results and two days after the government formation deadline, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has invited the second largest party Shiv Sena to stake claim to form the government with the help of NCP and Congress.
The decision came after the largest party BJP refused to form the government, accusing Sena of disrespecting people’s mandate with its adamant demand of having an alliance agreement of rotational chief ministership.
"The mandate of the people of Maharashtra was for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Sena has, however, disrespected the mandate, hence we have decided to not stake claim to form government. We have informed our decision to governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari," senior Maharashtra BJP leader Chandrakant Patil told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
07:20 (IST)
BJP-Shiv Sena alliance turned bitter after poll results
Results for the 21 October Maharashtra Assembly election were announced on 24 October. BJP and Shiv Sena, contesting the polls in an alliance, won 105 and 56 seats respectively. The NCP won in 54 constituencies while Congress registered a win in 44 seats.
Trouble began for BJP and Sena after the results when the latter expressed the desire to follow the 50-50 sharing formula for the chief minister and ministerial berths. The BJP, denied having agreed to such a deal.
Shiv did not hold talks with BJP even once, while Sena's senior leader Sanjay Raut visited NCP’s Sharad Pawar twice and talked to his nephew Ajit Pawar on the phone too, as per the latter's claim. Uddhav later accepted to have suspended talks because BJP had outright denied that the parties had ever agreed upon a 50:50 power sharing formula. "We do not do business with those who make it seem like we are liars," Uddhav had told reporters after Devendra Fadnavis said he was hurt and shocked by Sena’s changed demeanour.
07:11 (IST)
Amid BJP-Shiv Sena deadlock, Sharad Pawar refuses to comment on non-BJP alliance
Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan said his party did not want President's Rule in the state, another party leader Milind Deora hinted at his support for an alliance with Sena by stating that NCP and Congress should try to form the government since the BJP has failed.
While, the NCP kept insisting that it is content to sit in the Opposition, the party's state president Nawab Malik dropped ample hints that if Sena was ready to sever all ties with BJP, there may be scope for an alternative arrangement. Congress general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday met the party's newly elected MLAs from Maharashtra, who are staying at a resort in Jaipur, to discuss the political situation in the state while chief Sharad Pawar met some of his party leaders in Mumbai.
Sharad Pawar also held a meeting with some of his party leaders in Mumbai. Refusing to speak on a "non-BJP alliance", Pawar said he would react only to Congress' official statement.
Maharashtra political crisis LIVE Updates | Sixteen days after the Maharashtra Assembly election results, the unfolding events took another spin as the single-largest party and the major partner of the winning alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party, declared that it was unable to form the government.
The BJP informed Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari of its decision, after the latter had invited the party to show its 'willingness and ability' to form the government in state. Following procedure, Koshyari has now invited the Shiv Sena, the second largest party, to stake claim to power.
Announcing the BJP's decision, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which is adamant on its demand for a rotational chief ministership, of "disrespecting" the popular mandate secured by the BJP and the Sena in the recent Assembly polls.
"The mandate of the people of Maharashtra was for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Sena has, however, disrespected the mandate, hence we have decided to not stake claim to form government. We have informed our decision to governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari," Patil told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
He wished "good luck" to the Sena if it wanted to form the government with the help of Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
Sena, meanwhile, has maintained that it will install its chief minister at all costs.
The Congress has so far remained wary of making any concrete comments and is currently holding consultations. Senior NCP leader Nawab Malik said the party will take a decision only after the Sena walks out of the NDA and gives a formal proposal seeking support to form a government.
The Maha story so far
The BJP and the Sena had together won 161 seats in the 288-member House, well above the halfway mark of 145. However, the trouble between the allies started after 24 October when the results were announced. Upon discovering that the BJP (105) could not secure the majority (145) by itself, the Sena asserted its claim over the chief minister's post. Sena claimed that the BJP had promised it an equal share in power before Lok Sabha election, which, it said, meant that notwithstanding its seat share (56), it was entitled to chief minister's post for half the term of the elected Assembly. The BJP, however, denied having agreed to such an arrangement.
The Sena continued its attack on its ally of 30 years, while flirting with Sharad Pawar's NCP. It did not hold talks with BJP even once, while Sena's senior leader Raut visited Pawar twice and dialed up his nephew Ajit Pawar too, as per the latter's claim. Uddhav later accepted to have suspended talks because BJP had outright denied that the parties had ever agreed upon a 50:50 power sharing formula. "We do not do business with those who make it seem like we are liars. Nobody has ever called the Thackeray family a liar," Uddhav had told reporters after Fadnavis' tirade against his party.
Fadnavis had accused Sena of jeopardising the alliance, stating that he was hurt and shocked by Sena's changed demeanour after the elections. On Sena's statement that the mandate was against Fadnavis, the caretaker chief minister subtly highlighted that his party had a better strike rate than Sena.
Fadnavis said BJP’s "strike rate" was better in 2019 than in 2014. "We contested 260 seats in 2014 and won 47 percent seats and 28 percent votes. In 2019, we contested 150 seats. We won 70 percent of seats and 26 percent votes," he said.
Sena, which contested alone in 2014, won 63 out of 282 seats with a strike rate of 22.34 percent. In 2019, it fought on 126 seats and won 56 with a strike rate of 45 percent.
Where do other players stand?
Congress, which had been watching the show from the sidelines for the first time showed signs of the intent for an alliance.
While senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan said his party did not want President's Rule in the state, another party leader Milind Deora hinted at his support for an alliance with Sena by stating that NCP and Congress should try to form the government since the BJP has failed. An 'attempt' such as the one suggested by Deora is mathematically impossible without the Sena's support to the Maha-agadhi alliance.
Sanjay Nirupam was the only voice in Congress who openly opposed an alliance with Sena based on ideological differences. Nirupam said "it seems the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has broken", and that he would urge his party leadership not to encourage government formation with the Sena's help as it will "not be a stable government" and both the Congress and NCP will suffer.
On its part, the NCP has also taken a cautious route. While on one hand, NCP's national chief Pawar kept insisting that NCP is content to sit in the Opposition, party's state president Nawab Malik dropped ample hints that if Sena was ready to sever all ties with BJP, there may be scope for an alternative arrangement. Congress general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday met the party's newly elected MLAs from Maharashtra, who are staying at a resort in Jaipur, to discuss the political situation in the state while NCP chief Sharad Pawar met some of his party leaders in Mumbai.
A senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, said the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has deputed two observers to hold discussions with the MLAs in Jaipur on what stand the party should take in view of the impasse on government formation.
"The Congress has to decide if it wants to stop the BJP in Maharashtra or whether it doesn't care if the BJP is able to form a government. An alternative government can be formed only with Congress' support," he said.
He also said that Congress General Secretary Mallikarjun Kharge held informal talks with the Maharashtra Congress MLAs in Jaipur in the morning.
He also brushed aside suggestions that the governor could invite the Congress-NCP for government formation as the 'second largest' alliance, claiming no such provision existed in the Sarkaraia Commission's recommendations.
In another development, NCP chief Sharad Pawar also held a meeting with some of his party leaders in Mumbai. Refusing to speak on a "non-BJP alliance", Pawar said he would react only to Congress' official statement.
"I cannot go by news reports about the decision of the Congress. I will react only when the Congress officially informs me about its decision," Pawar told reporters.
With inputs from agencies
November 11, 2019 at 09:12AM
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