BJP MP Sanjay Kakade met NCP Chief Sharad Pawar’s at the latter’s residence in Mumbai on Sunday shortly before the Supreme Court began hearing a joint plea of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress against the decision of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari inviting BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis to form the government.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar. leaves after a meeting with party MLAs at YB Chavan Center in Mumbai on Saturday. (ANI Photo)
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After the meeting amid the ongoing political tussle in Maharashtra, Kakade said that he “met Pawar for personal reasons”.
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The swearing of Fadnavis and NCP’s Ajit Pawar as his deputy on Saturday morning was a dramatic development that had threatened to split Sharad Pawar’s party at a time when the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena had almost reached an understanding on the formation of a coalition government in the state.
In another development on Sunday, NCP leader Jayant Patil went to the Raj Bhawan with a letter for Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to inform him about replacement of Ajit Pawar as the legislature party leader. The governor is not in Mumbai, a Raj Bhawan official told PTI.
Hours after he took oath as the deputy chief minister, the NCP in a meeting had removed Pawar as its legislature unit leader. He had been elected the legislature party leader on October 30.
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The party said Patil will have all the constitutional rights till the next legislature party leader is elected. A resolution at the NCP meeting also said that Ajit Pawar’s right to issue a whip was also revoked.
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The party said Patil will have all the constitutional rights till the next legislature party leader is elected. A resolution at the NCP meeting also said that Ajit Pawar’s right to issue a whip was also revoked.
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Ajit Pawar’s decision to ally with the BJP had triggered speculation that the NCP chief was aware of it before Sharad Pawar clarified that his nephew’s decision was a personal one and did not have his or the party’s blessings, and that most of the NCP’s MLAs were still with him.
Late Saturday, the NCP moved 44 MLAs to a hotel on Saturday.
The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena (56), NCP (54) and Congress (44). The BJP claims that it has support of 170 MLAs including all 54 NCP lawmakers and independents. The majority mark in the 288-member House is 145.
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