Maharashtra Govt Formation Updates: SC to hear Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP plea against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 11.30 am tomorrow

Maharashtra Govt formation Updates: The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow at 11.30 am the joint plea of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress against the decision of Maharashtra governor inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form the government. The new BJP-led new government in Maharashtra will be defeated in the Assembly Speaker’s election, NCP leader Nawab Malik told reporters. He expressed confidence that the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena combine will come to power in the state. The NCP in its meeting at the YB Chavan Centre decided to remove Ajit Pawar as the leader of the legislative party. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was present at the meeting The Shiv Sena has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the “arbitrary, malafide actions/decisions” of Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, who, along with Ajit Pawar, had reportedly called 11 NCP MLAs for the swearing-in ceremony in the morning, has reached the YB Chavan Centre. Four of the nine NCP MLAs who had earlier taken a chartered flight to Delhi, are back in Mumbai, reports News18. These MLAs include Sunil Shelke and Dilip Bankar. Stepping up efforts to win back Ajit Pawar, senior party leaders including Sunil Tatkare and Dilip Walse Patil are holding a meeting with Ajit at his brother Sriniwas Pawar’s residence, reports ANI. A separate meeting of Sharad Pawar with NCP MLAs is also underway at the YB Chavan centre at Mumbai. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala hits out at BJP over the dramatic turn of events in Maharashtra. While addressing the media in Congress’ headquarters he alleged that BJP threatened Ajit Pawar with ‘jail’. He further said that ‘power-hungry’ BJP has murdered democracy. As events took a sudden dramatic turn in Maharashtra on Saturday with a faction of NCP led by Ajit Pawar joined hands with BJP and with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis taking oath as chief minister, Congress is now planning to move its MLAs out of the state. According to multiple reports, these MLAs are likely to be moved to Jaipur. “Congress is planning to move its MLAs out of Maharashtra. They will be moved to a Congress-ruled state,” Congress party source said on Saturday. “I don’t want to say anything about those who couldn’t stay true to Balasaheb’s ideals? Their opposition to Congress was well-known. Those who dump their entire legacy, are teaching us. Those who are willing to compromise for power, shouldn’t talk about Shivaji,” Union law minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said while addressing a media press conference in Delhi. The BJP party briefed the media on Saturday over the developing situation in Maharashtra in a dramatic move post swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister early Saturday. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP leader said that Fadnavis had the people’s mandate. NCP chief Sharad Pawar will hold a meeting of his party MLAs in Mumbai at 4.30 pm, in the wake of his nephew and legislature party leader Ajit Pawar joining hands with the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra on Saturday**.** According to India Today sources, post the slated 4:30 pm NCP meeting, the party is likely to shift its MLAs out of Maharashtra to prevent horsetrading by BJP. MLA’s likely to be shifted either to Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. The “clandestine” manner in which Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the chief minister of Maharashtra will be written in black ink in the history of the state, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said on Saturday. He also accused the BJP of crossing the limits of “shamelessness”, adding democracy stands “shattered” after the saffron party formed the government by joining hands with NCP president Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar. Patel recalled that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had not invited the Congress to stake claim to form the government in the state after the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP were asked to do so earlier this month. Congress leader Ahmed Patel claimed that legal opinions have begun and that the party is consulting lawyers. “We will fight this on both fronts, political and legal,” he added. “All our MLAs are intact…we can form a government in Maharashtra. We will try both politically and legally…all 3 of us (NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena) are together,” he said. Congress leader Ahmed Patel says the oath-taking ceremony took place in complete secrecy, which indicates “something is wrong here” while briefing the media in Mumbai.   “Ajit Pawar may have gone and supported the BJP but at ground level no party worker will agree to such a thing. The MLAs, who he claims have supported him, will also not agree to this. He will not be able to prove their support in the Assembly,” said Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar’s daughter and senior NCP leader Supriya Sule has confirmed that the Nationalist Congress Party has split from the middle in a political war that has not even left the dominant political family untouched. Sule has put up a story on Whatsapp which states: Party and family split. Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar is said to have back stabbed his uncle to ally with the BJP. However, several reports also quote sources to state that Sharad Pawar was in fact kept in loop all along. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will address a joint press conference at 12.30 pm today. The two party leaders have so far maintained that Ajit Pawar is alone in supporting BJP, while Sharad Pawar remains true to his word. According to CNN-News18 reports Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala is likely to address the media at 11:30 am today. “I have no comments on what Ajit Pawar has said, but what he has done is for everyone to see. He has backstabbed people of Maharashtra and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. He has committed a sin” Sanjay Raut said. He also claimed that Sena is in constant touch with Sharad Pawar and the latter has no role to play in this murky deal. In another turn of event, Sharad Pawar has claimed that he did not know about Ajit Pawar’s move until 7 am in the morning today. He refused to comment any further on the issue and said he will hold a press conference later. Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party is now officially in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. The surprising development came after NCP chief, only last night, claimed that Uddhav Thackeray will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra. Seems like it is back to square one for Maharashtra government formation. After NCP chief Sharad Pawar saying that Uddhav was the “unanimous” chief minister’s choice among the newly-formed allies Congress-NCP-Sena, leaders of all the three parties have given vague and unclear statements to the press. While Congress’ Ahmed Patel and Prithviraj Chavan said that the talks will continue tomorrow, as today’s meeting was “inconclusive”, NCP’s Nawab Malik said, “We have asked Uddhav Thackeray to be the chief minister.” The three parties have another meeting scheduled for Saturday and they plan to meet the Governor tomorrow. Minutes after the “decisive” meeting between the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena concluded and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar asserted that there was consensus over Uddhav as the next Maharashtra chief minister, Congress leader Ahmed Patel said that the talks were inconclusive and “discussions will continue tomorrow.” Patel’s comments are in line with Uddhav who said that while the three alliance parties came to a conclusion on many things, “we don’t want to leave anything undecided.” “The first time we have come together like this and we want unity on everything between us and then we will come to you. We will not go before the janta without sorting out all our issues. Everything will be dealt with. It was the first meeting between all the three parties. Finishing touches are being given to the alliance. I don’t want any issue to be left discussed between three parties before going public,” reports quoted Uddhav as saying. Earlier in the evening, the newly formed Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance unanimously proposed Uddhav’s name for the post of chief minister in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said. “Uddhav will lead the Maharashtra government,” Pawar said after an hour-long meeting with top leaders in Mumbai. The meeting between Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena at Nehru Centre in South Mumbai concluded. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was the first to walk out after the meeting, said, “Tomorrow a press conference will be held by the three parties. Discussions are continuing. Tomorrow we will also decide when to approach the Governor.” The three parties will hold a joint press conference on Saturday. Coming out of the venue as the meeting ended, Uddhav says, “We have decided on the future course of Maharashtra.” Congress and NCP have reportedly said that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s voice is final in the party which won’t leave any space for any dissent. NCP chief Sharad Pawar also confirmed that there was consensus among the three alliance partners that the Sena chief should be the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. A joint briefing of Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena is expected tomorrow (Saturday). Sources speaking to NDTV also said that the NCP, Congress have insisted on Uddhav being the new Chief Minister in the meeting between the three alliance partners which is currently underway. According to latest reports, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress will stake claim to form government in Maharashtra either late night on Friday or Saturday morning, NCP’s chief spokesman Nawab Malik has said. Malik also said that Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena will give priority to running the government for five years. “Some leaders of the three parties will meet in the evening (on Friday). They will discuss all the points and take the final call. We will stake claim to form the government late tonight or in the morning tomorrow,” Malik said. He reiterated the chief minister’s post will go to the Shiv Sena. Top leaders of the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP have started the meeting to give shape to new government to be led by the Uddhav Thackeray-headed party in Maharashtra. Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai, Sanjay Raut (all Shiv Sena), Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, K C Venugopal, Avinash Pande, Balasaheb Thorat, Prithviraj Chavan (Congress), Praful Patel, Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar (NCP) are part of the meeting. Deliberations will focus on finalising a common minimum programme (CMP) and power-sharing between the three parties in the new government. Mumbai Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, arrive at Nehru Centre in Mumbai’s Worli for the crucial Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP meeting. Earlier, Kharge had said that a key media briefing will be held after the meeting concludes. According to reports, the three parties are expected to stake claim to form the new government in Maharashtra after the meeting. However, at this point everything is speculative with all eyes on the NCP-Congress-Sena meeting. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is in Mumbai, ANI reported. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, “We are going for meeting (Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena) where discussions will be held. We will do a briefing after the meeting.” Meanwhile, Sena MLA Sunil Prabhu said all the party MLAs have been asked to stay together, while another legislator, Uday Samant, said no one can poach the Sena lawmakers. “We are together in Mumbai due to the fast-changing political developments,” he was quoted as saying by reports. A petition has been filed in Supreme Court by a Maharashtra resident SI Singh against the post-poll alliance of NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress. The petition sought a direction from the apex court to restrain Governor from inviting Congress and NCP to form government in the state against the mandate of people, reports ANI. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari spoke about Maharashtra government formation on Friday and said that there were “ideological differences” among Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP to form an alliance. “The government will not go much ahead even if it is formed,” he added.  As the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are slated to hold final deliberations over government formation today, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the chief minister will be from his party and will remain incumbent for the full term of the alliance government. Amid hectic political activity for government formation in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday met his party’s legislators in Mumbai and told them that the process to form a Sena-led dispensation in the state was in the final stages. Thackeray met the legislators to apprise them of the government formation process and meetings of Congress-NCP leaders in Delhi, Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav told PTI. “Uddhav ji met and told us that the process of formation of Sena-led government is in the final stages,” he said. A key meeting is currently underway between Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and other alliance partners, in Mumbai. While Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress seem to be close to the final stage before government formation in Maharashtra, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam expressed doubts over the stability of the alliance. Taking to Twitter, Nirupam warned his own party leaders against forming the government with the support of Shiv Sena. “Our leaders saying that we are taking the risk of joining hands with the Shiv Sena to stop the BJP. But how long will the government of three parties work?” Nirupam’s Hindi tweet read. The next Maharashtra chief minister will be from the Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has not demanded the top post during state-level meetings on government formation, Congress leader Manikrao Thakare said. Sources suggested that the chief ministerial post may go to the Shiv Sena for five years.​ Thakare also said that leaders of the three parties will sit together later on Friday to clarify some pending issues and also to decide the time to approach Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to stake a claim for forming the government. As the government formation process picked momentum in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena president​ Uddhav Thackeray on Friday met his party’s legislators to discuss the political situation in the state. Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav told PTI that whatever decision Thackeray takes will be binding on all legislators of Shiv Sena. “We would like​ Uddhav ji or Aaditya Thackeray to be the chief minister,” he added As the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are slated to hold final deliberations over government formation today, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the chief minister will be from his party and will remain incumbent for the full term of the alliance government. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is currently meeting party legislators at his residence Matoshree. Speaking to PTI, Sena legislator Bhaskar Jadhav said the party chief is expected to apprise MLAs of developments in the government formation talks with the Congress and NCP NCP chief Sharad Pawar has finally ‘outwitted’ the ‘so-called Chanakya of the Indian politics’, the party said on Friday, as it inches closer to forming a government with Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra. The NCP’s chief spokesperson Nawab Malik also reiterated that the throne of Delhi could not make Maharashtra bow before it. It is believed that Malik’s jibe was directed at Union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah, who is often credited for being instrumental in the BJP’s victories in several polls and government formations in the country. Top sources tell News18 that Shiv Sena chief is not keen to take up the post of chief minister. Instead Sena leaders like Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant likely to be named to take up the post. But according to ANI, Raut denied these claims. When asked if Sharad Pawar had suggested his (Raut’s) name for the post of Maharashtra chief minister, the Sena leader said that it was incorrect. “People of Maharashtra want Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister.” he added. According to sources, Sharad Pawar briefed Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday night about his discussion with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders over the modalities of government formation and the basics of Common minimum programme decided by the Congress and NCP. “Our Common Minimum Programme is based on the issues of common man, relief to farmers, job creation etc. while issues like Hindutva or Bharat Ratna to Savarkar etc are not part of our Common Minimum Programme , these issues were not even discussed in any of our meetings,” a senior leader of NCP told ANI. Shiv Sena won’t side with the BJP even if offered Lord Indra’s throne, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Friday. Talking to reporters, Raut reiterated that his party will get the Maharashtra CM’s post when the three-party alliance with Congress and NCP assumes power. “The time for offers has ended,” Raut said, when asked about reports that the BJP had agreed to share the CM’s post with the Sena. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his MLA-son Aaditya met Sharad Pawar at the NCP president’s residence ‘Silver Oak’ in South Mumbai on Thursday night. The Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were also present during the meet. The crucial meeting took place for over an hour as the former NDA ally continued its effort to form government in Maharashtra with the support of the maha aghadi alliance – the NCP and the Congress. The Thackerays called on Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, after he arrived in Mumbai from New Delhi in the evening. However, no Congress leader was present at the meet. The meeting took place on a day when Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said in New Delhi that a decision will be taken on Friday on the architecture of alliance for Maharashtra government formation. He said when Congress will announce the Common Minimum Programme, it shall disclose the power-sharing formula. Sources said the three parties are likely to make a formal announcement on Friday about joining hands to take a shot at power in the state. The Sena chief will address a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders on Friday during which he is expected to deliberate on the party’s line of action in the backdrop of the three main non-BJP parties making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, a party leader said. In a marathon meeting on Wednesday, the Congress and NCP leaders held deliberations to finalise details of their alliance as they work to form a new government in the state in tie up with Sena. Congress leader KC Venugopal said on Thursday, “We have apprised the CWC members of the latest political situation in Maharashtra. Today, Congress-NCP discussion will continue. I think, tomorrow, we will probably have a decision in Mumbai.” A key meeting of top Congress and NCP leaders was conducted to discuss the alliance with Shiv Sena on Wednesday. The Congress Working Committee earlier in the day granted in-principle approval to the party to form government in Maharashtra along with the NCP and the Shiv Sena, sources said. In a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi, the party’s highest decision-making body also deliberated on the Maharashtra political scenario, they said. “On Saturday, a letter signed by the MLAs of the three parties will be handed over to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari,” Sanjay Raut told NDTV. Sources in the Sena and NCP added that “if all goes well, a swearing in ceremony will take place on Sunday or Monday.” Congress sources said the final decision on the government formation in Maharashtra is expected by Friday. “The CWC has broadly agreed to go ahead with government formation with the Shiv Sena and the NCP,” the source said. “Another meeting between the Congress and the NCP will be held on Thursday and a final meeting with Shiv Sena will take place on Friday in Mumbai. The decision on government formation in Maharashtra will be announced in Mumbai on Friday,” the source said. Sonia Gandhi was advised to “go ahead” with the Maharashtra alliance, despite her reservations, and told that the “greater enemy, in order to fight communalism, is the BJP”, NDTV quoted sources as saying. Final talks may take place in Mumbai. After meetings on Wednesday with the NCP at its chief Sharad Pawar’s home, the Congress said “some aspects of the alliance” were still to be discussed. “There can’t be any government in Maharashtra without the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. We are trying our best to resolve issues,” said NCP leader Nawab Malik, addressing the media along with Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, who simply said the talks will continue. The chief minister’s post in Maharashtra is most likely to be on a rotational basis, with the first half of the five-year term to be given to the Shiv Sena and the latter to the Nationalist Congress Party, NCP sources told PTI. The Congress is likely to have the deputy chief minister’s post for the full term, they said. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) reviewed the scenario in Maharashtra on Thursday, a day after it held a marathon meeting with the NCP on forming an alliance together with Shiv Sena to form government in the state. After the meeting, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that the CWC was briefed on the discussion between NCP and Congress on Wednesday. However, a final decision on Maharashtra is expected by Friday, PTI quoted Congress sources as saying. According to sources, the CWC broadly agreed to go ahead with government formation with Shiv Sena and the NCP. Another meeting between Congress and NCP is scheduled to be held Thursday night and a final meeting with Shiv Sena will happen Friday in Mumbai.

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Even as Shiv Sena continues to exude confidence about forming a government in Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), report have emerged that a section of the newly-elected MLAs are upset over the party’s decision to form a government with the other two.

Seventeen MLAs of Sena, along with senior leader Manohar Joshi, reportedly went to party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s  Mumbai residence on Wednesday to convey that they were unhappy with the party’s decision to form an alliance with the Congress and NCP, reported News18. However, they did not get an appointment to meet Uddhav. These reports come amid statements by senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who claimed on Wednesday that a government led by his party will be in place by next month in Maharashtra. “We are inching towards the government formation. The picture will become clear in the next two days and a popular government led by the Shiv Sena will be in place by December,” he told PTI. Asked about the meeting between the NCP and the Congress scheduled on Wednesday, Raut said there will be a “full stop to it”, implying that the two parties have almost completed their discussions on the government formation in the state. NCP leader Nawab Malik on Tuesday had said that a meeting between NCP and Congress was postponed to 5 pm on Wednesday. The two sides have deputed leaders for holding talks on a possible alliance, he said. Deliberations over Maharashtra government formation have been ongoing for at least a month now. Results for Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced on 24 October. Hinting that a a major development will unfold during the 22 November meeting of Shiv Sena leaders  and MLAs in Mumbai, party leader Abdul Sattar said, “All (party) MLAs have been called for a meeting on 22 November (in Mumbai). We have been asked to bring our Id cards and clothes for five days. I think we will have to stay at a place for two-three days, then the next step will be decided.”

Abdul Sattar, Shiv Sena: All MLAs have been called for a meeting on 22 Nov. We've been asked to bring our ID cards&clothes for 5 days. I think we'll have to stay at a place for 2-3 days, then the next step will be decided. Uddhav Thackeray ji will be Maharashtra CM for sure. pic.twitter.com/ZBa95Wbzow

— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2019

“Uddhav Thackerayji will be the chief minister of Maharashtra for sure,” ANI reported him as saying. The Congress and NCP have continued to hold a cautious approach towards forming an alliance with the Shiv Sena, whose Hindutva ideology stands in stark contrast towards Congress’ secularism. After meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in Dehli on Wednesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said said if the NCP-Congress have to take a view on government formation, they have to first discuss it between themselves and with smaller allies. Following this, a meeting was scheduled between the senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel and the party’s general secretary KC Venugopal and NCP leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Ajit Pawar, Jayant on Tuesday in Delhi to to explore the possibility of an alliance with the Shiv Sena in the state. However, the meeting was cancelled due to pre-occupation of Congress leaders with Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary events, Malik said. Last week, after holding hectic parleys in the state, the Congress and NCP had finalised a draft common minimum programme , which they had shared with the Shiv Sena on 14 November, during the first meeting between the three parties after the Assembly results were declared on 24 October. . In the 21 October Maharashtra Assembly polls, the BJP-Sena alliance secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member Assembly. The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively. However, failing to evolve a consensus over the chief minister’s post, the two saffron parties parted ways, with the Sena exploring the possibility of tying up with the Congress-NCP. President’s rule had been imposed in the state on 12 November after the no single party or combine staked claim to form the new government.