Test of MVA strength: ‘Ball now in governor’s court’

Mumbai/New Delhi: With BJP urging Governor B S Koshyari to direct CM Uddhav Thackeray to prove the MVA government’s majority, a BJP leader said the ball is now in the governor’s court. He will have to draft a plan for conducting the floor test, but it remains to be seen if he will oblige BJP as SC has ordered status quo and posted the case on MLAs’ disqualification to July 12.Sena’s contention is that since status quo has been ordered, it would be wrong on the part of the governor to conduct the floor test.
MVA leaders will meet on Wednesday to take stock of the situation. The governor may summon CM Thackeray on Wednesday in view of Fadnavis’s letter, sources said.
Even as BJP appeared to be busy exploring the prospect of forming a coalition with the Eknath Shinde-led group, Shiv Sena said it would move SC if the governor asked for a floor test.
After his meeting with the governor, Devendra Fadnavis addressed the media for the first time after the political crisis broke out in the state. Fadnavis said BJP has given its letter to the governor via email as well as a physical letter. Fadnavis was in a meeting with the governor for nearly 40 minutes. He was accompanied by state BJP president Chandrakant Patil, opposition leader in council Pravin Darekar, ex-minister Girish Mahajan, MLA Ashish Shelar and RS MP Dhananjay Mahadik, among others.
In his letter, Fadnavis has alleged Sena leader Sanjay Raut is threatening the legislators camping in Guwahati, saying their dead bodies will be brought to Mumbai. Many other Sena leaders are also threatening the rebel MLAs with dire consequences.
Fadnavis said while BJP and Sena contested the 2019 assembly elections together, after elections, Sena joined hands with Congress and NCP and formed the government. For the last 8-9 days, discontent is brewing in Sena as most legislators are not keen to continue with Congress and NCP in the government. Fadnavis has said that in a parliamentary democracy, majority is of paramount importance and as MVA government has lost its majority, it should be asked to prove it.
The BJP leader said if rebel Sena leaders do not attend floor test, the House strength will be reduced from 287 to 248. So BJP will require only 125 votes to cross the half-way mark. “Our own strength is 113, and we have support of 10 independents and 4 other legislators,” he said.