MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to tender his resignation on Friday as the current state assembly tenure will end on Saturday, November 9.
According to Media sources, CM Fadnavis is expected to meet the state’s Governor today and resign from his post of CM. However, he is awaiting a command from senior leadership of BJP before taking the final decision.
This comes as the BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over power-sharing in Maharashtra even after the two parties, who fought the state assembly election in a pre-poll alliance, were given a clear mandate in the assembly elections. However, they are nowhere near forming the government. It has been over two weeks since the Maharashtra assembly election results were declared and the ‘Mahayuti’ of BJP-Shiv Sena were given a clear majority.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray wants a government under 50:50 formula and CM’s post to Aditya Thackeray for 2.5 years, which the BJP is not ready to offer. BJP has clearly stated that Fadnavis is going to lead the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government for the next five years. None of the parties are ready to bow down and haven’t held talks with each other on the political crisis.
However, the BJP has attempted to break the deadlock by making several negotiation offers to Shiv Sena, but to no avail. On Thursday night, BJP took the help of Rightwing Hindu leader Sambhaji Bhide and sent him to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his ‘Matoshree’ residence in Mumbai, in an attempt to end the tussle.
However, the meeting could not happen as Thackeray was not at home when Bhide arrived. Party sources said that they had not expected Bhide’s arrival and hence, Thackeray could not meet him.
Further, the drama heightened early on Friday when young Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray met the newly-elected MLAs of his party at a hotel in Mumbai early as uncertainty over government formation continued to prevail in Maharashtra. The Sena MLAs will be staying at the hotel for the next two days that are considered very crucial for the government formation as the term of the incumbent government ends on Friday.
On Thursday, a BJP delegation had met state’s Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to discuss the legal options of delaying the government formation.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 105 seats in the recently-held Assembly polls. However, it cannot stake a claim since it lacks a majority in the 288-member Assembly. The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, got 56 seats.
Bureau Report
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