The Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday recommended imposition of President's Rule in the state amid all the political fiasco. The President Ram Nath Kovind signed the proclamation giving ascent to President’s rule in the state.
The single largest party- BJP wasn’t able to form the government inspite of having 105 seats. The Governor invited Shiv Sena who also failed to do so at the time. Sharad Pawar’s NCP was given time until 8:30 pm on Tuesday but the Governor, acting hastily, recommended the imposition of President’s rule in the state.
Shiv Sena has moved to the Supreme Court against Governor Koshyari's refusal to grant them 3 days to stake a claim to form the government. Rajyasabha MP Kapil Sibal will represent the party in the apex court.
However, this isn’t the first time has the emergency been imposed in Maharashtra. This is the third time that such a situation has arisen in the state.
The first emergency was introduced from 17 February 1980 to 8 June 1980. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dismissed the Sharad Pawar led government in a tit-for-tat move when she came back to power in 1980.
In 2014, the ruling coalition of Congress-NCP fell apart after Pawar’s party decided to pull out, leading the state into President’s rule for 33 days.
The current situation is a peculiar one. If Congress-NCP decides on backing the Sena, the President’s rule can be revoked. It will be interesting to see how the story unfolds.
