Will take steps after going through Shiv Sena's petition: Maharashtra govt counsel

After Shiv Sena on Tuesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Maharashtra government standing counsel, Nishant Katneshwarkar said appropriate steps will be taken after going through Shiv Sena's petition.

"I came to know about the filing of a petition by Shiv Sena challenging a communication by the Governor by which its claim has been rejected with regard to the formation of the government. We will take appropriate steps after going through the prayers and grounds in the petition," Katneshwarkar told ANI.

Sena filed the petition in the apex court Koshyari's decision not to extend the time given to it to prove its ability to form the government in the state.

Shiv Sena-led by Uddhav Thackeray has emerged as the second-largest party in last month's Maharashtra assembly elections, after the BJP.

The petition said that the Governor worked in "hot haste" on Monday in refusing to "grant even three days time to the petitioner to demonstrate that it has the requisite majority to form the government in Maharashtra".

The party, in its petition, said that the BJP used "the Governor's office in an attempt to prevent it from forming the government".

Shiv Sena, through its plea, said that as per the constitutional conventions and practice, the Governor is duty-bound to allow a reasonable time for political parties to conclude their negotiation on government formation and not act as an agent or mouthpiece of the central government.

"It is submitted that the instant is a classic case where these constitutional conventions which have the force of law have been followed by the Governor in sheer breach," it said.

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.

The majority mark in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly is 145. The NCP has 54 MLAs in the state assembly while the Congress has 44.