BJP adopts 'wait and watch' policy amid power tussle in Maharashtra

Amid the political uncertainty over government formation in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena is making all-out efforts to join hands with NCP-Congress for government formation. After BJP leader Chandrakant Patil declared that they would not form the government in Maharashtra, the party seems to have adopted the 'wait and watch' policy. Speaking about the same, BJP Leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said, "The BJP core team meeting has concluded. The political situation in the state was discussed in the meeting. On its basis, BJP is taking the stand of 'wait and watch.'" 

On the other hand, senior leaders of NCP and Congress will meet on Tuesday to mull on the prospects of forming a non-BJP government in the state with the Shiv Sena.

"NCP and Congress will have a meeting tomorrow (November 12) to decide about Shiv Sena, many senior leaders from both the parties will be present in tomorrow's meeting," said NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday.

Governor BS Koshyari has given the NCP a deadline until Tuesday 8:30 PM to form a government, after declining a three-day extension request by Shiv Sena for submitting the letter of support. After Sena's Aaditya Thackeray meeting with the Governor, a delegation of NCP leaders held a meeting at Raj Bhavan. Meanwhile, the Congress party has maintained ambiguity over their support to Shiv Sena, an ideologically differing party, to form the government in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena insisted on getting the post of Chief Minister for two-and-a-half years but the BJP said there had not been any such understanding between the two parties ahead of the polls. Shiv Sena emerged as the second-largest party in the polls and got 56 seats.

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Multiple developments

Since Monday morning, there have been hectic developments in the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress camps to form a post-poll alliance. Both the Congress Working Committee as well as the core group of the NCP have held multiple meetings. Meanwhile, Union Minister Arvind Sawant announced his resignation from the Union Cabinet maintaining that it was “not appropriate” to continue in his position when the alliance with BJP in Maharashtra was virtually finished. Later in the day, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray not only met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, but also spoke to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the phone. 

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