Maharashtra likely to have caretaker CM as Fadnavis may resign

New Delhi, Nov 08: With no sign of the deadlock ending, Devendra Fadnavis is likely to step down as the chief minister of Maharashtra. A caretaker CM is likely to be in place before the parties are able to come up with some formal arrangement and stake a claim to form the government.

The BJP which was supposed to meet with the Governor and stake a claim to form the government has put off its plan. The party would only stake a claim when it has the support of 145 MLAs, sources in the BJP tell OneIndia.

The Governor of Maharashtra has already begun legal consultations. On Thursday the Governor met with the Advocate General of the state and discussed the situation. The BJP has said that it is the single largest party and even if it is invited to form the government it would not stake a claim unless it has the required numbers.

The Governor had said that if no party is able to form the government by November 7, he would initiate consultations.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena issued another threat and told the BJP that the demand for the post of Chief Minister should not be seen as a negotiating tactic.

Earlier it was being said that there is likely to be a breakthrough. The BJP was to meet with the Governor and stake a claim to form the government. However, the same was postponed as the party wanted to await a positive response from the Shiv Sena.

On Wednesday, ministers of the BJP and Shiv Sena met for the first time after the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared.

The meeting of the Shiv Sena MLAs is crucial as it would decide on whether to pursue the post of chief minister or give it up to the BJP. A discussion on the 50:50 arrangement that the Shiv Sena has been speaking about also would be discussed during the meeting.
The BJP has maintained that the post of CM is non-negotiable.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet the Governor along with state BJP chief, Chandrakant Patil. He said that whatever differences are there will be ironed out.

On Saturday, Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari had told a delegation led by Union Minister, Ramdas Athavale that he would initiate consultations if no party came forward to form the government by November 7.

A new Chief Minister must take oath before November 10 as the term of the Maharashtra Assembly ends on November 9, 2019. If no party comes forward before the term of the assembly ends then President's rule would be imposed in the state.

According to BJP sources, in the 288 member house, the BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis has the clear support of 105 MLAs. He is likely to stake a claim to form the government in the next two days with the support of the independent MLAs.

The Shiv Sena has said that it enjoys the support of 175 MLAs. Sanjay Raut said that the party would not budge on its 50:50 demand. He also hinted that support from the Congress and NCP for the Shiv Sena is also a possibility.