Will not form government: BJP tells Maharashtra governor

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party, which secured 105 seats in the assembly elections, will not form the government in Maharashtra, the party's state president said on Sunday.


Addressing a press conference immediately after meeting the governor on Sunday evening, BJP state unit president

Chandrakant

Patil said the mandate was clearly for the Mahayuti (BJP with allies 105) and Sena (56). “ However, the Sena has not agreed to government formation. It is the Sena that has insulted the people’s mandate. We have decided not to form the government,” he said.

Caretaker chief minister Devendra Fadnavis along with his senior cabinet colleagues met governor Bhushan Koshiyari on Sunday evening to convey the decision. Earlier in the day, the party’s core committee met at Varsha in the afternoon and after a break met again before leaving for Raj Bhavan.

On Saturday the last day of the 13th assembly, the governor had sent a letter to the BJP as the single largest party to indicate its willingness and ability to form the government.