Will form Sena-led govt with NCP, Cong: Uddhav

After the unexpected turn of events on Saturday morning, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray assured his party legislators that they would sail through the ongoing

After the unexpected turn of events on Saturday morning, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray assured his party legislators that they would sail through the ongoing political drama and install a Sena chief minister in the state, with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress .

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Thackeray is firm on sticking together with the NCP-Congress alliance and forming the government in Maharashtra, party insiders said.

Hours after the joint briefing with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Thackeray ordered his party workers to seek a legal recourse over the situation in the state and also went to meet the Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the Sena, who are put up at Hotel Lalit in Andheri (East).

In an interaction with the legislators on Saturday evening, Thackeray expressed confidence that the party would form the government with their new alliance partners.

A legislator, who was present during Thackeray’s address to the MLAs, said, “He told us that we [MLAs] should not worry about the situation. He assured us that a stable government led by Shiv Sena will come to power soon.”

Another legislator said that Thackeray has asked all MLAs to remain together and positive.

“Uddhavji also apprised us about the discussions between the Sena, the NCP and the Congress. He said that most of the modalities of the alliance were finalised. The remaining modalities were to be thrashed out today [Saturday]. But before that could happen, this development [Fadnavis taking oath] took place,” the other legislator said.

Meanwhile, the Sena, NCP and Congress have moved the Supreme Court, seeking quashing of the Governor’s decision to invite Devendra Fadnavis to form the government.

In their petition, the parties have sought directions from the Apex court to summon a special session of the legislative Assembly, with the agenda of administering the oath to the MLAs, followed by a floor test on November 24.

On the legal front, the petitioners contended that the Governor acted in a “partisan manner and made mockery of the high office of the Governor”. In the petition, the parties said that the Governor’s actions are “a text book example of the Governor acting at the behest of a political party in power at the Centre.”

In the petition they have sought the necessary directions, restraining Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar from taking any policy decisions.

Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that his party is confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would fail to prove its majority on the floor of the House.

“MLAs of all the parties are together. Most of the NCP legislators who had gone [with Ajit Pawar] have come back. If this picture remains [on the day of the floor test], how will they [BJP] prove their majority?” Raut questioned. He added that no MLA from any party would be poached.

Earlier in the afternoon, Thackeray, in a joint press conference with Pawar, slammed Fadnavis indirectly.

“This is a new kind of a thing that the country has witnessed. This is nothing but disrespect towards the Constitution and the mandate given by Maharashtra... it is a political surgical strike that the BJP has done. We will stand together and form the government in Maharashtra,” Thackeray told reporters.