BJP, Ajit Pawar running away from floor test: Congress

Congress party on Sunday said the BJP and Ajit Pawar, who broke away from the NCP to be part of Maharashtra government, were running away from the floor test.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena combine has a majority in the state Assembly.

"BJP and Ajit Pawar are shying away and running away from proving majority on the floor of the House, while the alliance of the three parties constituted in the interest of Maharashtra has a full majority," he said.

He exuded confidence that Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis' government will crumble upon the floor test in the Assembly. "Our demand is simple. Let's have a floor test and whoever has the majority will be established," he said.

He further said: "The moment a floor test is ordered, our majority will be established. It will be proved that the BJP in a surreptitious midnight operation, misusing the office of Governor, constituted an illegitimate Government, which will fall in a floor test."

In a surprising move, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state respectively early on Saturday morning.

Shiv-Sena, NCP and Congress combine moved a petition in the Supreme Court on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court, while hearing their joint petition, asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and the Centre to produce relevant documents and letters of support from MLAs by 10 am on Monday.

Earlier today, BJP MLAs met in presence of the Chief Minister in Mumbai where they decided a strategy to comfortably sail through the floor test.