A day before the Supreme Court rules on floor test for Maharashtra government led by Devendra Fadnavis whose swearing-in has been challenged by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine, the three parties paraded 162 MLAs in a show of strength at a luxury hotel in Mumbai.
Supreme Court is expected pass an order on floor test, today at 10.30 am.
At the event, the MLAs took oath to not fall
prey to any inducements by the BJP.
NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde said 162 MLAs of the three parties were present at the event in evening.
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has the strength of 288 MLAs where the halfway mark is 145.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar told the gathering of MLAs that he would personally ensure that none of them loses membership for voting against the BJP during floor test in the Assembly.
Pawar addressed a joint meeting of the MLAs of 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress at the five-star hotel.
The NCP chief said BJP has tried unconstitutional ways to gain power in Goa and some other states.
The NCP chief added that he had consulted several constitutional and legal experts and also gone through previous instances on the issue of technicalities.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, speaking at the event, asked the BJP to "make way" for the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance to rule Maharashtra.
Congress leader Ashok Chavan said, "We are more than 162, not just 162. We all will be a part of the government. I thank Sonia Gandhi who allowed for this alliance to stop BJP."
"The governor should invite us to form government," he said.
Responding to the show of strength by the three-party alliance, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said a majority in the Assembly cannot be proved by such "identification parades".
The BJP, which has maximum 105 MLAs, is counting on the support of some Independents and Others, apart from Ajit Pawar.