Governor summons Chavan, Bhujbal to Raj Bhawan

In a Surprise development, Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir today summoned caretaker Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal to Raj Bhawan to ascertain their views on Government formation.

The first to meet the Governor at 1130 hours was Mr Chavan.

Later, Mr Bhujbal called on Dr Jamir. Raj Bhawan sources said the Governor has been consulting experts on the issue of formation of the Government. Even in 1999 and 2004, the government had been formed after at least a fortnight after the election results, the sources said.

The new assembly has already been constituted as per an election commission notification, two days back, the sources added.

After the declaration of assembly election results on October 22, the Congress had emerged the single largest party with 82 members in the 288-member house followed by the NCP with 62 members.

The Congress-NCP alliance retained power to lead the state for the third straight term. But the deadlock between the two parties over the allocation of portfolios has delayed the process of government formation. Meanwhile, Raj Bhawan sources said a joint BJP-Shiv Sena delegation will meet the governor tomorrow at 1130 hours.

Mr Bhujbal asserted his party would support the Congress from outside till the issue of power sharing modalities were resolved.

Talking to reporters here after meeting the Governor, Mr Bhujbal said ''We have not demanded anything more from the Congress and as long as there is no unanimity on the issue of portfolios, we will support the Congress government from outside.'' He said the NCP was ready to support the Congress government from outside till their issues were settled and eventually join it after the matter was resolved.

Mr Bhujbal said the NCP always supported the Congress and this was evident since 1999 and pointed that the Congress wanted more ministerial berths. ''Neither we want more nor concede more portfolios,'' he added.

The NCP has been demanding the allotment of portfolios on the basis of the 1999 formula, while the Congress has been seeking more portfolios arguing that they had won 20 more seats than the NCP in the just-concluded state Assembly elections. (Editors: Pl pick up suitably from earlier series)

-- (UNI) -- 03BY11.xml

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