Shiv Sena Goes To Supreme Court After Governor Denies More Time To Claim Power

The Shiv Sena approached the Supreme Court today against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s refusal to grant it extra time to stake claim to form the next government in Maharashtra. The decision was “unconstitutional, unreasonable and malafide,” the party said in its petition to the top court. Congress leader and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal will represent the party in the top court, sources said.

Refusing to accept the Sena’s request for a 48-hour extension to form government, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari had invited Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party yesterday to stake claim. The deadline for the NCP ends at 8.30 pm today and the party said they had asked for a 48-hour extension this morning.

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet recommended President’s Rule for Maharashtra, where no government has been formed nearly 20 days after the assembly election results.
The Governor, the Shiv Sena alleged, was working “at the behest of the BJP”.

In its petition, the Sena said while the Governor gave 48 hours to the BJP to indicate whether it can form government, he gave them only  24 hours to get the support letters from prospective allies — the Congress and the NCP.

The Governor, Sena said, had acted in haste at the behest of BJP to deny it the opportunity to form government.

Since Saturday, when the term of the Maharashtra legislative assembly ended, the Governor had invited three parties to stake claim to government formation. When the single largest party, the BJP, refused, unable to resolve the tussle with Sena over power share, the Governor invited the Sena, which is the second largest Party.

But yesterday, he turned down the Sena’s request for an extension of the time window, and issued an invitation to the NCP, which has been in talks with the Sena and the Congress.

The Congress and the NCP lack the numbers and would need the Sena’s help if they are to form the government. Both parties earlier said they were ready to sit in the opposition.

The Sena ended ties with the BJP for a second time over a 50:50 power share that would also include the Chief Minister’s post, pulling its lone minister out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government yesterday. The party was working towards a new political alignment involving the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

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