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POLITICS

joined hands with the BJP, though he licitor General Tushar Mehta and sen-
called off the alliance within three days ior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, wasrepre-
and the government lasted just as long. senting the BJP and some independent
Earlier, Devendra Fadnavis had re- MLAs in the matter.
signed as Maharashtra chief minister The Solicitor General Tushar Me-
on November 26 ahead of the floor hta, representing the Central Govern-
test shortly after rebel NCP leader Ajit ment, while submitting letters of the
Pawar did a u-turn and quit as the BJP “ Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh
leader’s deputy, in another dramatic I had never Koshyari and current Chief Minister
twist to the month-long political drama dreamed of leading Devendra Fadnavis in the Supreme
that saw Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Court, pleaded that the Governor was
Thackeray head the new government. the state. I would like cognizant of facts and the situation
Uddhav, who had emerged as a con- to thank Congress after polls results that had led to in-
sensus candidate on the eve of Novem- voking of President’s rule in the State.
ber 22 and was set to be the chief min- interim president He further added that the Governor
ister before the BJP turned the tables Sonia Gandhi and other recommended President’s rule in the
on its former ally, has become the first State after being assured that no party
from the Thackeray family to assume leaders. was in position to form government in
a government post. His father late Bal Maharashtra.
Thackeray wielded the ‘remote con- ” The Supreme Court was looking into
trol’ over the first Sena-BJP combine the letters of the Maharashtra Chief
government during 1995-99 but never UDDHAV THACKERAY Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the
assumed a position in the government. Chief Minister Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar with
Uddhav Thackeray recently recalled regards to staking claim for forming the
the “promise” he had made to his late father to install a ‘Shiv Maharashtra government. The Solicitor General said the let-
Sainik’ (party worker) as chief minister of Maharashtra. ters had endorsement of all 54 NCP MLAs. It also scanned
Reacting to the latest development, Fadnavis said, “I doubt the letter by the Maharashtra Governor Koshyari. Koshyari’s
that this three-wheeler govt will be stable but BJP will work letter had invited Devendra Fadnavis to form the govern-
as an effective opposition and try to raise the voice of people.” ment in the State.
On November 26, the Supreme Court had ordered a floor Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the BJP and
test for Fadnavis government and asked Maharashtra Gov- some independent MLAs in the matter, while stating that Ajit
ernor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to appoint a pro-tem speaker Pawar’s letter supported Devendra Fadnavis, further added
and ensure all elected members of the House are sworn in that it was nobody’s case that the letters had been forged and
on Wednesday. the Maharashtra Governor had acted correctly. In reply to
At the time, the floor test was supposed to determine the Mukul Rohatgi’s plea that it was end of “their case,”, the Su-
strength of rival groups in the state assembly. On the morn- preme Court quipped: “Whether the Chief Minister enjoys a
ing of November 23, Devendra Fadnavis had sworn in as majority support on the floor of the House has to be decided,”
chief minister along with Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Con- Kapil Sibal, representing the Shiv Sena in the Apex Court,
gress (NCP) as Deputy CM. whilereferring to the presser of three parties, where Uddhav
Interestingly, the dramatic return of Fadnavis came Thackeray was declared the Maharashtra Chief Minister, in
hours after the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP announced his plea said: “Where was the national emergency to revoke
that a new government headed by Uddhav would be formed the President’s rule at 5:27 AM and the Chief Minister being
in Maharashtra. Aggrieved by the actions of the state gover- administered oath at 8 AM next morning?” While referring
nor, Shiv Sena and other coalition partners — Congress and to the alleged haste by which President’s rule was revoked
the NCP — had approached the Supreme Court the same day and new government was formed in Maharashtra, Sibal said
against the arbitrary and mala-fide actions and decisions ‘of that it hadnever been done in the history of the country and
the state governor. Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena combine has affidavits of 154 Ma-
On November 24, the Apex Court directed the Centre as harashtra MLAs supporting it, if the BJP had numbers, then
well as the sworn-in chief minister Fadannvis to produce they could asked to prove their majority within 24 hours.
letter showing the governor invited him to form the govern- Senior advocate AM Singhvi, representing Sharad Pa-
ment along with Fadnavis’ letter staking claim to form gov- war’s NCP and Congress in the Supreme Court, while sub-
ernment. On November 25, a 3-Judge Bench comprising jus- mitting the affidavits of .154 Maharashtra MLAs supporting
tices NV Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna, heard the combine three parties, called the hasty action of swear-
the pleas of Cong-NCP-Shiv Sena combine represented by ing in of Fadnavis as CM as fraud of worst kind and called
Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi, the Centre represented by its So- for an immediate floor test. Nevertheless, the Apex Court

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