Will get 165+ votes in Maha floor test: NCP

 The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday claimed that it will get more than 165 votes in the crucial floor test in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told IANS: "Yesterday we paraded 162 MLAs. But in the floor test in the Assembly we will get more than 165 votes as more people are coming back to us."

The NCP leader's remarks came after the Supreme Court passed an interim order to conduct a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday after considering the competing claims of the parties.

The Supreme Court gave its verdict on a joint petition filed by Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena against the decision of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra.

During the impending floor test, there will be no secret ballot and the entire process has to be completed before 5 p.m. The proceedings will be telecast live as per the Supreme Court order.

Commenting on the meetings of party leaders with Ajit Pawar, who was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday along with Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister before 8 a.m., Malik said, "Talks are on to bring back Ajit Pawar, as the BJP-Ajit Pawar government would fall short of majority in the House."

Ajit Pawar, who is nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had stunned the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP after he took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

In Delhi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed that the three parties will prove majority in the House.

Chavan told IANS, "On the Constitution Day, the Supreme Court has given a good judgement. And all three parties are happy with the top court decision. Devendra Fadnavis should resign from the Chief ministers post."

The NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena were in final rounds of talks to finalize the alliance in the state, where the President's rule was imposed on November 12.

In the October 21 elections, BJP emerged as single largest party winning 105 seats while its pre-poll alliance partner Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats. The 30-year-old alliance of the two parties fell after Uddhav Thackeray demanded for rotational chief minister, a demand denied by the saffron party.IANS