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Uddhav Thackeray will rule for 5 years, says NCP’s Nawab Malik
Nawab Malik also dismissed Devendra Fadnavis’ claim that the Sena-NCP- Congress coalition will not last long.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said Tuesday that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray would be the next chief minister of Maharashtra and that the collapse of the short-lived the Devendra Fadnavis government was the beginning of the end of an “arrogant” BJP.
“Sharad Pawar has conveyed his desire to have Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister in the meeting of leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Thackeray has agreed to the same. He will rule for five years,” NCP legislator and spokesperson Nawab Malik told reporters.
Malik said leaders of the Sena, NCP and Congress will meet Governor B K Koshyari soon.
He said the Supreme Court’s direction to Fadnavis to seek a trust vote on Wednesday had foiled the BJP’s plan to indulge in horse trading to remain in power.
Malik also dismissed Fadnavis’ claim that the Sena-NCP- Congress coalition will not last long.
“Our alliance will last for a long time. This is the start of BJP’s end. The BJP has become very arrogant.”
Fadnavis resigned in the afternoon for lack of numbers after his deputy, NCP’s Ajit Pawar, quit. The BJP is the largest party with 105 MLAs in the 288-member House but is short of the majority mark by 40 members.
The Supreme Court had directed Fadnavis to seek a trust vote on a petition filed by the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress that he be government be directed to quickly face a floor test.
The BJP had banked on Ajit Pawar backing it with most of the NCP’s 54 lawmakers. But NCP chief Sharad Pawar managed to keep his flock together and checkmated Fadnavis from ruling Maharashtra for a second successive term.
