The BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister on Saturday
It is game over for the BJP in Maharashtra, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik tweeted this morning minutes after the Supreme Court's verdict on the political situation in the state. Ruling on a petition filed by a Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP front, the top court had ordered the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis to prove his government's majority in a floor test scheduled for Wednesday evening. The court's decision, welcomed delightedly by all members of the opposition alliance, has since been rendered moot; Mr Fadnavis announced his resignation from the Chief Minister's post this evening.
"Satyamev Jayate (the truth will always win), the BJP's game over," Mr Malik tweeted in Hindi in response to the court's ruling. On Saturday, hours after Mr Fadnavis was sworn in, Mr Malik had declared the "illegitimate" BJP government, would fail a floor test.
Nawab Malik, who was key in stitching together the Congress-NCP-Sena alliance and was part of the team that discussed a common minimum programme, had earlier alleged party leader Ajit Pawar, who resigned as Deputy Chief Minister shortly before Mr Fadnavis stepped down, misused signatures of NCP MLAs taken for attendance.
Chaos broke out in Maharashtra on Saturday morning after Mr Pawar broke away, armed with that letter, to back the BJP in its audacious bid to form the government. In a series of secretive manoeuvres President's Rule was revoked at 5.47 am and, by 8 am, Chief Minister Fadnavis was sworn in.
A furious Sena-Congress-NCP trio approached the Supreme Court on Sunday demanding an immediate floor test - a test that an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said would be "impossible" for the BJP to win. "It is like milking a bull," it added.
The top court agreed with the trio and ordered one for Wednesday. The BJP, which emerged from last month's election with 105 seats in the 288-seat Assembly, would have around 40 more to reach the majority mark of 145.
The centre had argued that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari invited Devendra Fadnavis to form government based on a letter showing the support of 170 MLAs, including all 54 of the NCP of Ajit Pawar.
The Sena-NCP-Congress submitted court documents with 154 MLA signatures.