SC Orders Maharashtra Floor Test by Wednesday Evening

New Delhi: The final act in the Maharashtra political drama is set to be played out on Wednesday with the Supreme Court directing BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the Assembly.

The Supreme Court decision sent a wave of cheer in the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party- Congress alliance, which had petitioned the apex court after Fadnavis was sworn in along with NCP rebel Ajit Pawar in the wee hours of Saturday night. 

The Supreme Court, which heard out all parties on Monday, also directed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure that all elected members of the House were sworn in on Wednesday itself. The entire exercise has to be completed by 5 p.m, the court ordered.

A bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also said the entire proceedings has to be telecast live. Voting in the Assembly shall not be on the basis of secret ballot, it said, as per a PTI report.

The Governor has also been asked to appoint a pro-tem Speaker to administer oath to the newly elected members. 

In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party is the single-largest party with 105 MLAs, followed by the Shiv Sena (56 MLAs), the NCP (54 MLAs) and the Congress (44 MLAs).

Taking to Twitter, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, said it was heartening that the verdict came when the 'Constitution Day' was being celebrated, and dubbed the court’s order as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

"I am grateful to Hon'ble SC for upholding democratic values and constitutional principles. It's heartening that the Maharashtra Verdict came on the #ConstitutionDay, a Tribute to Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar!" Pawar tweeted.

In Mumbai, reacting to the apex court’s decision, Sena leader Sanjay Raut thanked it and declared that the alliance would prove their numbers on floor of the House and defeat the “Fadnavis-Ajit government” on Wednesday evening. 

"We had numbers and today too we have it. Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar's swearing in ceremony was illegal and betrayal of Maharashtra. Now we will show the unity of state and see that new and people's government come to power," said Raut. 

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik hailed the decision and said his party, which is in the eye of the political storm, is ready for floor test.  

"Not just 162, we have more than 162 with us and you will come to know the exact strength tomorrow morning itself. This government had never people's support and that's why they sworn in at wee hours of the day. Court has done justice and have asked them to prove majority if they have. Our request of earliest floor test has been accepted by the court," said Malik. 

Congress leader Ashok Chavan termed it the “victory of constitutional values.”

"BJP has fallen flat on face. It was trying to delay the floor test. But the Court stood for values and principles and also rejected BJP's demand. We will prove our numbers on the floor," he added. 

BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli, however, rejected the contention that the Supreme Court order was a "setback" to the party, asserting that "no judicial pronouncement on issues of the Constitution can be a setback to any political party".

Since the past two days of high drama,  all three parties -- Sena with 64 legislators, NCP with 51 and Congress with 44 --  were under tremendous pressure to keep their flock together after NCP supremo, Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar crossed over and took oath with Fadnavis, claiming support from a large section of party MLAs. 

(With inputs from PTI and Amey Tirodkar in Mumbai)