President's rule imposed in Maharashtra after Governor refuses parties more time
President’s Rule was imposed in Maharashtra on Tuesday evening amid a stalemate which saw Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party make several attempts to cobble up numbers. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray even “assured" that the three parties will work out a formula and come together to form a non-BJP government in the state.
He along with several other leaders remained critical of Governor BS Koshyari over the denial of more time to drum up support for government formation in the state. In fact, the order had come hours ahead of the deadline set by Koshyari.
Onboard?: Meanwhile, allies Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) appeared to be treading cautiously over forging ties with the Shiv Sena, saying they were yet to take a call on backing it to form the government in Maharashtra but will hold further discussions.
“It was imperative that there is clarification on all issues before such an important decision is taken," read a joint statement.
What happens now?: President’s Rule can be imposed in the state for six months after which the EC will have to announce fresh polls in Maharashtra. However, if any political formulation emerges in the meantime that can prove its majority on the floor of the House, President’s Rule can be dissolved.
What stands to be seen now is if the three unlikely “bedmates" would risk to go beyond ideological lines to stake a claim.
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Curated and compiled by Angana Chakrabarti
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