Mumbai: In a massive overnight twist, the BJP retained power in Maharashtra as Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister in the early hours of Saturday, with a deputy, Ajit Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had just hours ago pledged support to a Shiv Sena-led alliance along with the Congress.
“Maharashtra needed a stable government, not a khichidi shaasan (mishmash government),” Devendra Fadnavis said after taking oath for the second time, adding that the Shiv Sena “did not follow people’s mandate”. “We were invited by the Governor to form government. I thank NCP and Ajit Pawar for supporting us,” he added.
Devendra Fadnavis has to prove his majority by November 29, reports suggest.
“Surreal,” summed up a stunned Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was hoping to become chief minister with the support of the NCP and the Congress, will address a press conference at 12.30 pm along with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who has called his nephew Ajit Pawar’s move his “personal decision and not one endorsed by the party.
Sharad Pawar reportedly phoned Thackeray and said he was “unaware”. Uddhav Thackeray, along with his son Aaditya Thackeray, and Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule were seen arriving for the joint press conference.
Ahead of the sudden oath ceremony, which suddenly flashed on TV screens, President’s rule was revoked at 5.47 am after an early morning signoff by President Ram Nath Kovind. Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took oath at around 8 am.
In a sign that something had been brewing, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had on Friday evening cancelled his trip to Delhi for a three-day conference.
Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, had been present on Friday night at a meeting after which the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress announced an alliance with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister.
Though Sharad Pawar claimed the NCP did not endorse Ajit Pawar’s “personal decision”, it is confirmed that the governor was handed letters of support from all NCP MLAs.
The NCP had collected the letters of support from its lawmakers earlier, as had the Shiv Sena and the Congress. NCP leader Nawab Malik claimed the same letters were handed to the governor. “We had taken signatures from MLAs for attendance, it was misused as a basis for the oath,” he said.
The Shiv Sena accused Ajit Pawar of “stabbing it in the back”.
“I am certain that the decision taken by Ajit Pawar has nothing to do with Sharad Pawar. What Ajit Pawar has done will never be forgiven by Chhatrapati Shivaji and the people of Maharashtra,” said Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who said he had noticed Ajit Pawar’s “suspicious” body language on Friday night.
After taking oath as the Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar told reporters: “From the day the results were announced to this day…. no party was able to form the government. Maharashtra was facing many issues, including farmer issues. So we decided to form a stable government.”
The NCP joining the central government will be decided at a later stage, BJP sources said.
In a tweet moments after the oath ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Fadnavis and Pawar. “Congratulations to @Dev_Fadnavis Ji and @AjitPawarSpeaks Ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, Sharad Pawar had met PM Modi, ostensibly over the farm crisis in Maharashtra, but the 45-minute meeting had caused a huge buzz. So had PM Modi’s unusual shout-out to the NCP for its conduct during a discussion in parliament on Monday.
The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the state elections last month with 105 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, had told the Governor last week that it could not form government as it did not have a majority.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena, partners for over 30 years, fell out despite winning a majority together, with the Sena insistent on its “50:50” power-sharing demand including rotational chief ministership.
The Sena, with 56 MLAs, turned to the NCP (54) and Congress (44) for support. Just as it seemed that the alliance was finally on track, the BJP pulled off a coup.
Significantly, Devendra Fadnavis had earlier attacked Ajit Pawar for his alleged role in corruption cases In a tweet in 2014, he had said, while denying taking support from the NCP: “BJP will never, never, never have any alliance with NCP. Rumours are motivated. We exposed their corruption in assembly. Others were silent.”
The Congress, which had come around to supporting the Sena after many meetings, expressed shock. “Illegal and evil manoeuvres take place in the secrecy of midnight Such was the shame that they had to do the swearing in hiding This illegitimate formation will self-destruct,” said the party’s Ahmed Patel, a close aide of Sonia Gandhi.
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