After the Supreme Court did not order a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on Sunday, the Congress said it will again seek directions from the court to conduct the floor test as early as possible.
“We do not want to encourage horse-trading. If the BJP is confident of having a majority then it should immediately prove it in the Assembly. We are confident the court will listen to our plea,” former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.
Senior Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai said the party was hopeful that the court would decide in their favour on Monday. “Sunday’s development in the Supreme Court went in the right direction, despite many saying this would not be taken up or would be disposed of. The judgment will come and what these people tried to do will be undone by the court. Ajit Pawar has done this by keeping everyone in dark, and a new legislative party leader is in place. What connotations it has in the eyes of law is to be seen. The SC will be the best judge.”
NCP leader Nawab Malik said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mr. Pawar had been sworn in on the basis of bogus documents, and Mr. Fadnavis does not have the numbers. “We have presented the facts in front of the honourable court and I am sure the verdict will be in our favour,” he said.
The BJP, meanwhile, claimed victory over the fact that the SC did not order an immediate floor test. “The Congress-NCP-Sena’s demand has not been accepted by the SC. They have fallen flat on their face,” senior BJP leader and former minister Ashish Shelar said.
The BJP also claimed that Mr. Pawar’s whip was still valid over members of the NCP, and his removal as the legislative party head was invalid. Mr. Shelar said even the petition did not dispute Mr. Pawar’s election as the legislative party head. “It is for these reasons that the BJP believes the removal of Mr. Pawar form the post is illegal and unconstitutional in the wake of these two technical issues,” he said.
(With inputs from Sharad Vyas)
