Maharashtra Guv asks NCP to 'indicate willingness and ability' to form govt

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday asked NCP leader Ajit Pawar to indicate willingness and ability of his party to form the government in Maharashtra.

Yesterday, Shiv Sena legislative party leader Eknath Shinde was called upon by the Governor to express his willingness and ability to form the government in the state.

Sena leaders met the Governor and submitted a letter expressing their willingness to form the government. However, they could not submit the requisite letter of support from the alliance partners, according to a statement.

The Governor has, therefore, asked the leader of NCP, the third-largest party, Ajit Pawar to convey its willingness and ability to form the government to him.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Jayant Patil told reporters, "As per the procedure, Governor has given us the letter (to stake claim to form the government) being the third-largest party in Maharashtra. We suggested to him that we will have to talk to our allies and we will get back to him as early as possible. The deadline is 8.30 pm tomorrow."

The development comes amid efforts to form a government after BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party in Maharashtra assembly polls with 105 seats, declined to form the government following differences with Shiv Sena on sharing power.

Meanwhile, the Congress decided to extend support to Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party in forming a non-BJP government in the state, sources said here earlier. They said that Congress will support Shiv Sena-NCP in forming a government and both the parties have been informed about the decision.

The NCP has 54 MLAs while its alliance partner Congress has 44. If Shiv Sena, which has 56 legislators, gets the support of NCP and Congress, it will easily cross the majority mark of 145 in the 288-member assembly.