In view of the continued political stalemate in Maharashtra, President Ram Nath Kovind imposed Presidential Rule in the state under Article 356 of the Constitution.
The results of the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra returned a fractured mandate, with no single party getting simple majority. BJP emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats, and Shiv Sena, who was its pre-poll ally, came second with 56 seats in the 288 member assembly. NCP and Congress got 54 and 44 seats respectively.
After the declaration of results on October 24, in a surprising turnaround, Shiv Sena withdrew from its alliance with BJP, leaving the scene open for combinations with Congress and NCP.
The Governor had rejected Shiv Sena's claim for forming government. The Sena has moved to Supreme Court challenging it. Shiv Sena claims in the petition that Congress and NCP are "principally willing" to support it, and the talks with them have reached an advanced stage.
Shiv Sena's legal team under the leadership of Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal has argued that the majority of a coalition has to be determined through a floor test and not based on the subjective satisfaction of the Governor.
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