Does cloud still exist in Maharashtra government formation?

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Does cloud still exist in Maharashtra government formation?

The only acid test BJP will have to face now is the floor test in the Legislative Assembly.

Saturday November 23, 2019 6:41 PM, Pradip Bhattacharya, ummid.com

BJP NCP Government Maharashtra

Shiv Sena did not get the opportunity to bounce back in the throne of the chief ministership in Maharashtra. Unfortunately, this is the only party that was demanding preferential treatment for a CM face in the state for a long time. As BJP’s ideology failed to work in the camp of Shiv Sena, the Thackeray-led party drifted away from the NDA and was in parleys with Congress and NCP to form the government. Till last midnight, everything was okay, but the morning changed the whole arithmetic of the government formation in Maharashtra.

The dream of NCP-Congress-Sena led government collapsed overnight, as BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, took an oath of the chief minister and deputy chief minister at Raj Bhavan. Both Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar got appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Besides, the AIADMK coordinator O. Paneerselvam greeted BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar for taking oath as CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively.

After the assembly election, Sena had been negotiating for an alliance with former political rivals NCP and Congress after it withdrew from NDA. Everything was within the knowledge of people, Sena-NCP-Congress would stake a claim by meeting the Governor in a day or two, but never did one know Ajit Pawar would reach Raj Bhavan to show the letter of support of 54 MLAs of NCP.

Today morning, it shocked not only Sharad Pawar or his daughter Supriya Sule to admit that there was a split in the NCP, and even the family. Sharad Pawar has even termed Ajit Pawar’s support to BJP an act of indiscipline, saying no NCP worker is in favour of the government formation. NCP will choose a new legislative leader as Ajit Pawar betrayed the NCP cadres. Sharad Pawar felt Ajit Pawar would have submitted a ready-made support list of NCP MLAs and did not rule out cheating the Governor.

The Maharashtra episode will now see a new twist as 5 MLAs who supported Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar have come back to NCP’s fold and Sena-NCP-Congress now prefers to shift the MLAs outside Mumbai to prevent from further horse-trading as BJP is in power in Maharashtra.

While Shiv Sena Supremo attacked the BJP party from carrying out such a “furgical strike” or stage such midnight ploys to shake the verdict of people.

There were shocking reactions from Congress leader like Ahmed Patel, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot who questioned the lifting of the President Rule in Maharashtra and the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister. The Congress termed the whole episode as anti-constitutional and anti-democratic and even listed the day as a black spot in Maharashtra’s history. Congress is likely to throw to challenge the whole episode of government formation both legally or politically.

BJP too did not step behind supporting the government formation led by NCP-Ajit Pawar and BJP-Fadnavis! The war of words between BJP-Shiv Sena had to cross all limits telling each other having cheated the mandate of people.

However, it seems unclear how Raj Bhavan in Maharashtra often opens door to BJP and snubs other political parties in a very light-hearted manner. Earlier, the governor invited BJP and snubbed both NCP and Shiv Sena and declined the appeal for 48 hours. Will Raj Bhavan gate remain open for BJP and doors locked for another political party in Maharashtra? The only acid test BJP will have to face now is the floor test in the Legislative Assembly.

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