Maharashtra could see the imposition of President’s rule if the Mahayuti of the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP fail to arrive at a consensus on the alliance’s pick as the new chief minister of the state. The term of the current Assembly expires on Tuesday, November 26, marking the end of the tenure of the ruling alliance in the state.
“The term of the current Assembly concludes on November 26 and with it, the legal validity of the government that is in place at the moment. The new Assembly has been elected. However, the swearing-in of the chief minister is the minimum prerequisite for the new government to take charge,” constitutional expert and former secretary general of the Lok Sabha PDT Achary told Moneycontrol.
“In the event of a new Chief Minister not taking oath by November 26, President’s rule will have to be imposed in the state,” he added.
The deadlock within the Mahayuti over the new chief ministerial pick continues with no announcement yet on who the new Maharashtra Chief Minister will be. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, the outgoing deputy CM and former two-time chief minister of the state, is believed to be the frontrunner for the post.
With the highest number of seats (132) in the alliance and the state and an impeccable strike rate (BJP contested 148 seats), the BJP believes its claim to the chief ministerial position is justified. The party also honoured Shiv Sena by appointing Eknath Shinde as the Chief Minister despite the BJP being the senior partner in the alliance.
On the other hand, the Shiv Sena is unwilling to cede ground and allow the BJP to run away with the CM’s post on the basis of brute numbers. The ally claims that it was the CM’s brainchild, the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme, that proved to be the game-changer for Mahayuti in the polls. Besides, the party has also cited his track record as CM and claimed that several development works were taken up during his tenure.
Meanwhile, a report by CNN-News18, citing sources, claims that the decision on the CM face, and the subsequent government formation, may be delayed by a few days and that the oath ceremony could take place on November 28 or 29.
As per the report, Shinde will resign as Chief Minister latest by Tuesday and may be asked to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister till the new government takes charge. In the meantime, both Fadnavis and Shinde are expected to be present in the national capital on Monday to attend the wedding ceremony of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter. An unofficial meeting of both top Maharashtra leaders with Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also expected on the sidelines.
Elections in Maharashtra were held on November 20 and the results were declared on November 23. The Mahayuti emerged as the clear winner winning 230 of the 288 seats in the state Assembly. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, on the other hand, could only win 48 seats, leaving them ineligible to claim the post of Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.
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