165 MLAs with Sena-Congress-NCP: Sanjay Raut dig at 'Accidental Shapathgrahan'

Mumbai, Nov 24: After the BJP, Shiv Sena's former ally, pulled a midnight stunner and made a dramatic comeback to form the government in the Maharashtra, Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that 165 MLAs are with with Sena-Congress-NCP and that they can prove majority now.

Briefing media at a press conference close to an hour before the Supreme Court takes up the matter of Maharashtra crisis, Raut said, "Yesterday was a black day for Maharashtra and this country. The manner in which he (Fadnavis) took oath was an accidental oath. It has never happened in the history. It was a Black Saturday. Why didn't Shiv Sena and NCP get a chance to come and form a government. If the Governor asks we can form the govt right away as we have the numbers. Sharad Pawar is a national leader. If BJP is trying to form government, it will not happen. It is a wrong step taken by the BJP and Ajit Pawar. As many as 165 MLAs are with Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP."

Making a veiled attack at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who took oath for a second consecutive term at a quiet ceremony on Saturday, Raut tweeted,''Accidental Shapathgrahan.''

Raut had earlier claimed that Ajit Pawar was 'blackmailed' into joining hands with the BJP to form government in Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters, Raut told,"NCP leader Dhananjay Munde has been contacted. Ajit Pawar may also return (to NCP fold). We have information how Ajit Pawar has been blackmailed and will expose this soon."

The NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are trying to ensure their MLAs are not poached.

In view of this, the NCP and Shiv Sena have moved their legislators to luxury hotels in Mumbai, while the Congress sources said they may take their MLAs to Jaipur.

In the 288-member state Assembly, the BJP government will have to prove that it has the backing of 145 legislators.

In a stunning turn of events, Fadnavis on Saturday returned as chief minister propped up by Ajit Pawar, who was made his deputy, just hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress reached a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate. Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in by Koshyari at a hush hush ceremony here, leading to lifting of the President's rule in the state.

Speaking to BJP workers at the party office here after being sworn in, Fadnavis said he would give Maharashtra a strong government with Ajit Pawar's support.

Ajit Pawar's volte face created fissures in the NCP, whose chief Sharad Pawar distanced himself from his nephew's dramatic action, saying the decision to back Fadnavis was his personal choice and not that of the party.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month's Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively. The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post. The Congress and the NCP, both pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.