Uddhav Thackeray-led government to face floor test today

The Maharashtra government led by Shiv Sena president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will face a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on Saturday (November 30).

A Vidhan Bhavan official told PTI that the floor test will be held after the House meets at 2 pm today. “The government is expected to have a smooth sailing in the floor test,” the official added.

Ahead of the floor test, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut claimed on Twitter this morning that the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance has the support of 170 plus MLAs.

“Majority day. 170+++++. There is no one yet who can defeat us,” he tweeted in Hindi.

आज
बहुमत दिन..
170+++++
हमको मिटा सके ये जमाने में दम नहीं,
हमसे जमाना खुद है… जमाने से हम नहीं

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 30, 2019

However, Raut did not elaborate on who the other members supporting the coalition were.

A two-day sitting of the Assembly will begin on Saturday. The trust vote will be taken up on day one, preceded by the introduction of the new ministers in the House.

On Sunday, the Assembly Speaker’s election will be held, followed by the tabling of motion of thanks on the Governor’s address in the House. The new Speaker will then announce the name of the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had earlier asked Thackeray to prove majority by December 3.

Also read: Raut hints at Maharashtra-like ‘miracle’ in Goa, BJP says dream on

The ruling coalition has claimed support of at least 162 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government after the Thackeray-led party fell out with its pre-poll ally BJP over sharing of the chief ministerial post.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 105 seats. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress won 56, 54 and 44 seats respectively in the October 21 polls.

NCP MLA Dilip Walse Patil was on Friday (November 28) appointed as the pro tem speaker of the Assembly. He replaced BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar, who was appointed to the post earlier this week. Walse Patil is a former speaker of the Assembly.

Thackeray was sworn-in as the chief minister on Thursday (November 28) evening and hours later, presided over his government’s first cabinet meeting.

Also read: Uddhav holds maiden cabinet meet, sanctions ₹20 cr for Shivaji’s legacy

Besides Thackeray, six other ministers — two each from the Sena, the Congress and the NCP — also took oath.

These developments came after a dramatic twist in the political impasse in Maharashtra with Devendra Fadnavis taking oath as chief minister on Saturday (November 23) morning in a hushed-up ceremony. Ajit Pawar from NCP took oath as deputy chief minister.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress then moved the Supreme Court against the move to swear in Fadnavis as CM. The apex court declared three days later that the BJP should prove their majority in a floor test, soon after which Fadnavis resigned, citing the lack of numbers to prove majority as the reason.

Ajit Pawar had resigned before him, simply saying that it was due to “personal reasons”.

(With inputs from agencies)