Maharashtra govt formation: BJP in 'wait and watch' mode

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders heaved a sigh of relief after their estranged ally Shiv Sena failed to get the required support for the government formation on Monday.

The Bharatiya Janat Party keenly followed the political developments throughout the day, which finally ended in governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari refusing more time to Sena to prove their numbers and instead asked the NCP to show the willingness to form the government.

As the Sena had limited options, the BJP held a couple of rounds of meetings on its political strategy which was largely dependent upon the outcome of the meeting of Sena leaders with the governor.

“We are keeping close watch on the ongoing developments and we have decided to have wait and watch strategy,” Sudhir Mungantiwar, BJP leader.

He said the party would comment on the political developments, if required, only after 7:30 pm on Monday, the deadline given by the governor to the Sena.

However, interestingly as it became clear that Sena would not be in a position to form the government, the BJP leaders scrapped their plans to speak to media

On Sunday, the BJP, which is the single largest party in the 288-member Assembly, declined to form government after its ally Shiv Sena refused to join it.

The governor then invited the Sena, the second largest bloc in the House with 56 newly-elected members, to stakeclaim. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the Congress collectively have 98 MLAs. The halfway mark is 145.

On Monday, the lone Sena minister in Narendra Modi cabinet, Arvind Sawant, announced his resignation, a pre-condition set by the NCP. Thackeray then met Pawar in Mumbai and is learnt to have requested him to support the saffron party in forming anon-BJP government. However, the Congress seems to be in double mind onbacking the Sena given their diametrically opposite ideological positions on many issues.