How BJP can retain power even if Shinde is disqualified

In the event of the Maharashtra assembly speaker disqualifying chief minister Eknath Shinde and 15 MLAs, the Bharatiya Janata Party will still be able to retain power with the support of the rest of Shiv Sena legislators and loyalists backing Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, a former official said on Monday.

At least 40 MLAs of NCP are purportedly supporting Ajit Pawar, who took oath as deputy chief minister on Sunday while eight of his colleagues were sworn in as ministers.

Ajit Pawar has the support of more than 40 MLAs of the NCP, according to sources citing a letter submitted to Raj Bhavan.

The BJP's strength in the 288-member House is 105 while 40 legislators of Shiv Sena led by Shinde are also part of the government. At least 10 Independents are also backing the BJP.

At 145, the combined strength of BJP (105) and the 40 MLAs of NCP, believed to be backing Ajit, can ensure that the government survives without the support of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The Congress has 45 MLAs and Shiv Sena-UBT 17. In the 2019 polls, the NCP won 54 seats.

Former principal secretary of Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, Anant Kalse, said in the event of the disqualification of 16 MLAs, including CM Shinde, the BJP-Sena-NCP alliance can still retain power with the support of NCP MLAs.

"The Supreme Court ruled that the Maharashtra assembly speaker should decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs including the chief minister. If Shinde is disqualified, the BJP-Sena-NCP alliance can still retain power with the support of NCP MLAs," he told PTI.

The apex court in May referred the matter of deciding on the disqualification of CM Eknath Shinde and the 15 MLAs of his faction to the speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, Rahul Narvekar.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday claimed to possess information that the Bharatiya Janata Party has promised Ajit Pawar the post of Maharashtra chief minister.

"I had spoken about it (that Ajit Pawar may go with BJP) publicly but I faced criticism. Only bargaining was going on over what position he (Ajit) would get. As per our information, he has been given a promise of chief minister's post by pushing Eknath Shinde aside with the help of the assembly speaker's decision (on disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs)," Chavan claimed on Monday.

Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut said the oath-taking ceremony of Ajit Pawar is the start of Eknath Shinde losing his chief minister's post.

"Shinde camp MLAs will be disqualified as members of the House. In order to continue being in power even after it, Ajit Pawar and the NCP MLAs have joined the government," Raut claimed.

With the induction of Ajit Pawar and eight others, the strength of the Maharashtra cabinet has gone up to 29, leaving 14 vacancies to be filled ahead of the much-awaited expansion of the council of ministers that can accommodate a maximum of 43 ministers.

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena, led by CM Shinde, each have 10 cabinet ministers.