Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis should resign before floor test: Congress` Prithviraj Chavan after SC decision

Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Maharashtra floor test on November 27. The order comes on a joint petition filed by Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP against the decision of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite the BJP to form a government in the state.

New Delhi: After the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Maharashtra floor test on November 27 (Wednesday), Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan exuded confidence in three-party alliance's (Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena) victory in the Assembly and said that before it's late, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis should submit his resignation.

Chavan said that Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are satisfied with the top court's order of floor test in Maharashtra Assembly and added that the Constitution was respected on Constitution Day.

"Tomorrow, at 11 am, members will take oath and at 5 pm, Pro-tem Speaker will hold floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly. All three parties (Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena) are satisfied with the Supreme Court order. Devendra Fadnavis should resign today," the senior leader said while addressing the press. 

Supreme Court on Tuesday gave its verdict on a joint petition filed by Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena against the decision of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra. 

During the impending floor test, there will be no secret ballot and the entire process has to be completed before 5 pm. The proceeding will be telecast live as per the Supreme Court order.

On Saturday, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra CM in an early morning development, along with NCP's Ajit Pawar, who was made the Deputy CM. The political move stunned the political bloc in Maharashtra, prompting the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena to move Supreme Court. It happened at a time when the three parties had almost finalised a deal to form a government in Maharashtra with Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray as the CM.

Congress-NCP-Sena has, meanwhile, maintained that they have support of 162 MLAs and will prove majority in the Assembly. On Monday, the parties combined to put up a massive show of strength at a Mumbai hotel with their 162 MLAs. The newly-elected MLAs of the three parties pledged jointly in the presence of their senior leaders that they would not get "lured" and "will not do anything that would benefit the BJP. 

Taking the pledge, the MLAs said, "I swear that under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Sonia Gandhi, I will be honest with my party. I won't get lured by anything. I will not do anything which will benefit BJP."

Sharad Pawar also slammed rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar and warned the BJP against grabbing power as it did in Goa and Karnataka while Uddhav Thackeray said the fight was not for power but for 'Satyameva Jayate'.