Maharashtra govt formation: Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena in Delhi to finalise power-sharing agreement

As the tussle over government formation in Maharashtra continues, with the state BJP and senior Shiv Sena leaders arriving in New Delhi, a new report has claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to stake claim to form the government before the set deadline of 7 November, given by governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Fadnavis who has support from 105 BJP MLA and a few independents, may submit a letter to the governor staking claim on 6 November, claims report.

Koshyari on Saturday had said that he would himself begin consultations with political parties on government formation in the state if nobody stakes claim by 7 November. The term of the existing 13th state Assembly ends on 9 November.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut along with other senior party leaders are scheduled to meet Koshyari on Monday at 5 pm. Raut had said that he would meet the governor on Monday and request him to invite the single-largest party to form the government in Maharashtra.

File image of  BJP and Shiv Sena banners

Raut also added that the governor was like the state's guardian and therefore, he would meet him to talk on various issues. "It will be a courtesy meet and not political. I am going to talk to the governor on various issues. We will also inform him about our stand," he told reporters without elaborating.

“I will ask him to invite the single largest party and then give a chance to other parties,” Raut told The Indian Express on Sunday, adding that there would be a Sena chief minister in state and the oath-taking ceremony would take place at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

The meeting is slated to take place a day after the Rajya Sabha member claimed his party would soon have its chief minister with the support of "170 MLAs".

Amid the impasse, the Sena also appeared to have reached out to the NCP as its senior leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday disclosed to reporters a message sent to him by Raut. Reacting to it, Pawar said, "This means I should call him. I will call and check."

With the government formation in Maharashtra in a limbo, NCP chief Sharad Pawar is scheduled to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday. Meanwhile, Fadnavis is also scheduled to meet BJP president and Union home minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Monday.

The BJP and the Sena are locked in a battle over sharing of power in the next government. The bone of contention is Sena's demand for the post of chief minister on a rotational basis with the BJP and adhering to a "50:50 formula" for allocating ministries.

Both these demands were rejected by the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the 21 October Assembly elections though with a weakened tally as compared to 2014. The BJP won 105 seats in the recent polls, the Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats, while the Opposition NCP and Congress got 54 and 44 seats, respectively.

In the recent polls to 288-member state Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and Congress-44.

With inputs from agencies