After BJP, Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Governor Invites NCP To Stake Claim: Sources

After Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena failed to stake claim to form the next Maharashtra government, Governor BK Koshyari invited Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday to stake claim. Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar addressed the media and said that he received a phone call from the governor where he has asked the NCP leaders to meet him at Raj Bhawan.  

"At 8:30 pm the Governor called us and asked me to come to meet him. Along with Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil and others, I am going to meet him. We have no idea as to why did he call us. Governor is an important person so we are going to meet him," Ajit Pawar said.

Earlier today, the Shiv Sena suffered a setback in its efforts to cobble up a non-BJP government in Maharashtra with the Congress at the last moment announcing its decision for holding more talks with the NCP on supporting the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.

Putting up a brave front, Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray told reporters outside Raj Bhavan here on Monday night that his party’s claim on formation of a government still stands, as the two parties have agreed “in-principle” to support the Sena-led government.

He didn’t take names of the Congress and the NCP. Aaditya claimed that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari refused to grant more time to the Sena to muster numbers.

“We have initiated talks with two parties. Both the parties have expressed their support in-principle to the Sena,” he said. “We informed the Maharashtra governor about our willingness to stake a claim for government formation. Shiv Sena MLAs have already issued their support in written,” he said.

He said the two parties (read NCP and Congress) need few more days to complete their procedures. “Hence we sought time from the governor but he refused to grant it,” he added.