The NCP core committee met at party chief Sharad Pawar's residence after 9 p.m. NCP leadership spoke with Shiv Sena in late-night political developments in Mumbai. The call was to clarify the misunderstanding between both the parties after today's developments. Both parties are in touch with each other. The call was made in the wake of the NCP and Congress not sending support letters to the Governor in time. The confusion has been cleared, informed an NCP leader.
NCP's Ajit Pawar says he was invited by Governor Koshyari
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called him as government formation in Maharashtra remained in limbo.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai in the evening, Mr. Pawar, the NCP’s legislature party leader, said he was not aware why the Governor rang him up.
“At 8:30 p.m. (on Monday), we got a call from the Governor. He has invited me as the legislature party leader. I do not know for what reason I have been invited. We will be meeting Governor Koshyari,” Mr. Pawar who was accompanied by Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil and senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, said.
The development takes places in the wake of the Shiv Sena suffering a setback in its efforts to cobble up a non-BJP government, with the Congress at the last moment announcing its decision of holding more talks with the NCP on supporting the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
Speaking to reporters later, NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said “it is learnt” that the Governor has invited his party as it is the third largest political formation with 54 seats.
“We will hold discussion with the Congress based on the letter the Governor will give us...we will take a final decision (on steps to be taken) tomorrow,” Mr. Malik said. - PTI
Staked claim to form government but Governor rejected our request for extra time: Shiv Sena
Aaditya Thackeray addresses the media at Raj Bhavan after meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Mumbai, November 11, 2019
Aaditya Thackeray addresses the press at Raj Bhavan:
"We (Shiv Sena) were asked if we were willing to form the government. We have started talks with Congress and NCP. We have informed the Governor we have the willingness but the duration given to us is less. The process needs another 48 hours but he has refused us extra time.
"The time given to us was only 24 hours but we have staked claims. However, this time is not enough and we will continue our efforts. Shiv Sena wants to provide Maharashtra a stable government. Maharshtra deserves a government for and of the people. We have asked an extension of 48 hours. The Shiv Sena will be able to provide that government but we need more time to complete the process. Our claim stays."
Maharashtra Governor's office tweeted: "They (Shiv Sena) submitted a letter requesting for three days of extension of the deadline for submitting the letters of support. The Governor expressed his inability to give any further extension."
Congress to continue further discussions with NCP, says a press statement by AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal. No decision yet on support to Shiv Sena.
Aaditya Thackeray and other Shiv Sena representatives with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, November 11, 2019
The Shiv Sena delegation meeting the Maharashtra Governor has seven independent MLAs in it giving support. ''This will be a government of farmers and labourers. Whoever Uddhav Thackeray says will be the Chief Minister,” said independent MLA Bachhu Kadu.
Shiv Sena leaders including Aaditya Thackeray have arrived at Raj Bhavan
Shiv Sena youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray reach Raj Bhavan.
Shiv Sena leaders Eknath Shinde and Aaditya Thackeray have arrived at the Raj Bhavan where they are expected to stake claim to form government in Maharashtra after meeting Governor B.S. Koshyari, on Monday evening.
“As per the Governor’s invitation to express our willingness and ability to form the government issued to us yesterday, we are responding to it positively,” sources in the Sena said.
“We will seek time from the Governor to prove majority in the House,” said a Sena leader.
Mr. Shinde has been elected as the leader of the Sena’s legislative wing.
Aaditya Thackeray, son of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, was elected from Worli in central Mumbai in the last month’s Assembly polls.
The Sena has won 56 seats in the 288-member House and is seeking support from the NCP (54) and the Congress (44) to form its government in the State.
(With PTI inputs)
Congress holds second meeting on supporting Sena
Top Congress leaders, former Maharashtra Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde, as well as State unit chief Balasaheb Thorat met party president Sonia Gandhi on Monday evening to decide on whether or not to support the Shiv Sena in forming a government in the State.
Earlier in the morning, all senior members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) met at Ms. Gandhi’s residence. However, the meeting was inconclusive and the party leadership decided to meet again at 4 p.m., amid indications that the legislators were not in favour of fresh elections in the State.
Senior leaders A.K. Antony, Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal also attended the meeting in the evening.
Ms. Gandhi also spoke with senior party leader from Maharashtra Nana Patole and discussed the political possibilities, sources said.
The Congress is a democratic party and all decisions are taken after extensive discussions, Mr. Patole said.
The Sena is the second largest party in the 288-member House with 56 MLAs after the BJP (105).
Given the stalemate between the two alliance partners, the role of the Congress with its 44 legislators and the Nationalist Congress Party with 54 MLAs is crucial. The Shiv Sena has time till 7.30 p.m. on Monday to stake claim.
Uddhav Thackeray phones Sonia Gandhi, seeks support to form govt. in Maharashtra
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday spoke to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and sought her party’s support to form a government in Maharashtra.
The phone call from Mr. Thackeray to Ms. Gandhi came before the Congress held a crucial meeting for a second time in the day, to decide on whether or not to support the Shiv Sena.
The Shiv Sena chief sought the Congress’ support to form the government in Maharashtra, sources said.
The Sena, the second largest party in the 288-member House, with 56 MLAs after the BJP’s 105 members, stepped up efforts to grab power in the politically-crucial State. The party has time till 7.30 p.m. to stake claim on government formation.
Mr. Thackeray also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
The Congress is expected to take a final call on extending its support to the Shiv Sena at a meeting of its top leadership with Maharashtra State leaders. -PTI
As the rivals of BJP in Maharashtra are contemplating of joining hands to keep BJP at bay, the party leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the BJP will give a media statement at 7.30 p.m. on Monday.
''We are closely monitoring the situation as off now. The party wants to wait and watch on how developments in the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP unfold'', Mr. Mungantiwar said.
NCP core committee to meet
After a discussion with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has reached Y.B. Chavan centre in Mumbai. The core committee of the party will deliberate on whether or not to support Shiv Sena. Mr. Pawar is expected to brief the party leaders about his meeting with Mr. Thackeray.
Sources say seven BJP MLAs called up NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday morning assuring support. They informed that they are ready to resign, if necessary, in case NCP is set to form the State government.
Over to Delhi
Senior Congress leaders have left the resort in Jaipur, where newly-elected Maharashtra Congress legislators are staying, to attend the working committee meeting of the party in Delhi.
The Congress is expected to take a final call on extending support to the Shiv Sena at the meeting of its top leadership with Maharashtra state leaders at 4 pm.
Shiv Sena leaders Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai are meeting senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
Uddhav Thackeray meets Sharad Pawar
Amid the stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray met NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday, sources said.
The Sena chief was accompanied by his son Aaditya Thackeray as he called on Pawar at an undisclosed location in Mumbai.
CWC meet ends, another meeting called as Congress MLAs head back to Mumbai
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on November 11 is learnt to have discussed threadbare the possibility of supporting a non-BJP government in Maharashtra from the outside.
However, so far, there has been no formal communication from the Congress. Senior leaders from the State including State Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat, former Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan, Leader of the Opposition of of the previous Assembly Vijay Wattedtiwar and Amit Deshmukh are headed to Delhi for another round of meeting for a final call.
Responsibility of ‘all of us’ to give alternative: NCP
With the deadlock over government formation continuing in Maharashtra, NCP leader Nawab Malik on Monday said it is the responsibility of “all of us” to give an alternative considering the plight of people in the state.
Malik, however, said the NCP will take any decision in consensus with its ally Congress.
“It is the responsibility of us all to give an alternative given the plight of the people and farmers. We are expecting a decision from the Congress. If there is a consensus, we will proceed towards government formation,” the NCP’s chief spokesperson said.
Congress NCP will decide together: Pawar
Amid talks that the NCP and Congress may support the Shiv Sena in government formation in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said whatever be the decision, the two parties will take it together.
The Shiv Sena has been invited by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to stake claim to form government on Monday.
Mr. Pawar also said there has been no discussion within his party on the governor’s invite to the Sena.
“We (the Congress and NCP) contested the election together. Whatever the decision, we will have to take it together,” Pawar told reporters ahead of the NCP’s core committee meeting here.
Governor should have given us more time to form govt.: Raut
Senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said that this was the moment when political parties such as the Congress-NCP needed to come through on their past statements that everything possible needed to be done to keep the BJP out of power.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has invited the Shiv Sena to indicate its willingness and ability to form the government today. Speaking on this backdrop, Mr. Raut said the Sena should have got more time.
“The Governor has given us 24 hours’ time, while the BJP was given 72 hours. It is our responsibility to form the government but when many people are taken together, it requires time. But some people are working to push this State towards President’s Rule. But we are trying until the last moment to give this State a stable government. We will try to put forth our position before the Governor. We will be telling the Governor, yes, we are forming the government but had we got more time, it would have been better for the State. Had Governor given us more time, it would have been easier but we are not complaining,” said Mr. Raut.
CWC likely to meet today to take a call on Maharashtra
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at the Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi. File photo
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) in likely to meet on Monday morning in the wake of fast changing political developments in Maharashtra.
So far, both the Congress, that won 44 seats, and its ally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with 54 seats, have maintained that their mandate is to sit in the Opposition and have refused to be part of Shiv Sena-led alliance.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had earlier met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss the matter, had asked the Sena to first come out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Now with the lone Sena nominee in the Union Cabinet, Arvind Sawant, set to resign as the Heavy Industries Minister, the Congress-NCP combine will take a relook at their position.
Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant to resign from Modi Cabinet
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Monday morning announced on microblogging site Twitter that he would be resigning from the Union Cabinet.
He also announced that he would be holding a presser directly after at 11 a.m. to explain his reasons. He made it clear in his tweets, however, that he was quitting the government, where he had been Minister since 2019, due to the end of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. Mr. Sawant said that there were certain promises that had been made as terms of the alliance and those had not only not been fulfilled but also denied as having made. He, therefore, decided to exit the government.
(With inputs from our Correspondents, agencies)
