'No Constitutional Requirement To Form Govt In Maharashtra Before Nov 26: Reports

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As the tenure of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is set to conclude on November 26, sources within the Legislature and Mahayuti said on Saturday that there is "no constitutional" requirement for the new government to be formed or the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister should take place before the November 26.

According to the sources, the assumption that the President's Rule will be imposed in the state after midnight on November 26 in "incorrect."

"In the past, the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister was often done after the term of the Legislative Assembly was over. The term of the 10th Legislative Assembly ended on 19 October 2004. The new Chief Minister of the 11th Legislative Assembly was sworn in on 1 November 2004," they explained.

They further cited examples, stating that the term of the 11th Legislative Assembly ended on November 3, 2009, but the Chief Minister of the 12th Legislative Assembly was sworn in on November 7, 2009.

Similarly, the term of the 12th Legislative Assembly ended on November 8, 2014, yet the swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister of the 13th Legislative Assembly took place on October 31, 2014.

The 13th Legislative Assembly expired on November 9, 2019, and the swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister of the 14th Legislative Assembly took place on November 28, 2014.

"This is why time is being taken to form the government in the state," the sources added.

The results of the General Elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly were declared on Saturday, November 23.

In the recent Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Mahayuti secured 230 seats out of the total 288 constituencies.

The BJP won 132 seats while its allies- the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won 57 seats, and the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, won 41 seats.

In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray winning 20 seats, Congress securing 16, and NCP(SP) led by Sharad Pawar managed just 10 seats.