The Indian state of Maharashtra was on Tuesday placed under president's rule based on recommendation of the state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
President Ram Nath Kovind signed proclamation imposing president's rule in Maharashtra later on Tuesday. Koshyari on Tuesday recommended imposition of president's rule in the state in view of stalemate over government formation.
In his report, the governor said a situation has arisen that a stable government is not possible even after 15 days of election results being declared.
The Shiv Sena, the second largest party in the state assembly after BJP, earlier on the day moved the Supreme Court against Governor Koshyari's refusal to grant more time to the party to submit the required letters of support to form the next government. It said it will file a second petition in the Supreme Court after imposition of the president's rule.
The Sena, which is trying to form a possible coalition government with the support of the NCP and the Congress, had failed to secure the requisite letters from both the parties. Sena leaders had met Koshyari ahead of the 7:30 PM deadline on Monday to stake the claim to form government.
"The Sena has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Maharashtra governor's refusal to extend time. We had asked the governor to give us three days to submit the requisite letters of support. We could have proved our numbers in a floor test later," Sena leader Anil Parab told a news channel.
Sena leaders claim that the governor had granted 72-hours to the BJP (105), the single largest party, to stake claim to form a government. The BJP on Sunday declined to form a government for want of numbers.
Sena has 56 seats, NCP 54 and Congress 44 in the state assembly with 288 seats. BJP and Sena had allied for the election held on October 21 but later fell apart over formation of the government.
