BJP wins trust vote in Maharashtra

While the friend-turned-foe Shiv Sena shouted against Fadnavis with Nays, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar- which earlier pledged unconditional support to BJP- abstained.

Devendra Fadnavis thus won the trust vote to remain the chief minister.

Shiv Sena as the largest party in the opposition gets the Leader of Opposition post. Its leader Eknath Shinde will be the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Congress said they would approach the Governor to protest the way the government won the trust vote.

"We will protest against this voice vote," said Congress leader and former CM Prithviraj Chavan.

An editorial published in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna earlier warned the BJP against accepting an offer of support from Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

“Will the BJP save the government with the help of rodents? NCP is a party that is known to nibble at the state exchequer,” the editorial said.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also alleged that the BJP was not making effort to talk to the Shiv Sena.

The BJP fell short of a majority in Maharashtra by 22 seats. The saffron brigade won altogether 123 Assembly seats in the state. It was widely expected that BJP would go with former ally Shiv Sena which won 63 seats.

But the NCP, which won 41 seats, had played a spoiler by offering unconditional outside support to the BJP in government formation in the state.

The BJP had contested alone in Maharashtra after snapping its 25-year alliance with the Shiv Sena over a seat-sharing disagreement.

In Maharashtra, all previous alliance partners - BJP and Shiv Sena of NDA and Congress and NCP of UPA - fought elections individually after failing to forge pre-poll tie-up.