The Centre and Maharashtra government are to produce the letters of Maharashtra Governor recommending revocation of President’s rule in the state and inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form government in the Supreme Court on Monday. The top court had on Sunday asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to place the letters before it today.
In the special hearing on a holiday, the apex court also issued notices to the Centre, Maharashtra government on the petition filed by Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine against the Maharashtra Governor’s decision to swear in Fadnavis as chief minister.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also issued notice to Fadnavis and Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month’s Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively.
The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister’s post.
The Congress and the NCP, both pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.
The bench declined fervent request of Mehta seeking two days time to place Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s communication on record and asked him to produce letters by Monday at 10:30 am when the matter will be taken again.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi, appearing for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine, asserted that they have the majority in the Maharashtra Assembly and if Fadnavis has the numbers he should prove majority on floor of the House.
While 54 is the total strength of NCP, 41 MLAs wrote to the Maharashtra Governor saying Ajit Pawar has been removed as its leader, Singhvi told the bench.
Sibal said that November 30 deadline given by the Governor to the ruling party to prove majority is meant to do ‘something else’.
“It is a complete ‘betrayal and annihilation’ of democracy where government has been allowed to be formed when 41 NCP MLAs are not with them,” they submitted.
BJP welcomes SC order, NCP says Fadnavis will fail floor test
Hours after the Supreme Court order, the BJP said the court’s decision strengthens its claim that Ajit Pawar continues to be the NCP’s legislature party leader.
But NCP leader Nawab Malik said, “The swearing-in took place on the basis of bogus documents. Devendra Fadnavis does not have the numbers.”
Malik also said that out of the five NCP MLAs reported ‘missing’ till Sunday morning, two returned and another one posted a message on social media stating he was with the NCP.
Pawar feud
NCP president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said there was no question of an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra.
He was reacting to his nephew Ajit Pawar’s tweets that he was still with NCP and that the “BJP-NCP alliance” would provide a stable government in the state.
“There is no question of forming an alliance with @BJP4Maharashtra. NCP has unanimously decided to ally with @ShivSena & @INCMaharashtra to form the government,” Sharad Pawar tweeted.
“Shri Ajit Pawars statement is false and misleading in order to create confusion and false perception among the people,” he added.
Ajit Pawar meets Fadnavis
After remaining ensconced in his south Mumbai residence throughout Sunday, Ajit Pawar met Fadnavis late Sunday night and held closed-door discussions.
A late night tweet from the CMO Maharashtra, however, said the CM and the Deputy CM discussed various measures for rain-hit farmers.
“CM @Dev_Fadnavis and DCM @AjitPawarSpeaks today met and discussed on various measures for additional support & assistance to unseasonal rain affected farmers. Tomorrow it will be further discussed with the Chief Secretary & Finance Secretary”.
(With PTI inputs)