PM holds meeting with Shah, Nadda on Maha situation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held an urgent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national working President J. P. Nadda here at his chamber in Parliament on Maharashtra's political conundrum, sources said.

In the about 30-minute meeting, it is learnt that the Prime Minister took stock of the political situation in Maharashtra where MLAs from the newly minted 'Maha Vikash Aghadi' alliance of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena gathered in a massive show of strength on Monday expressing confidence to secure victory during the floor test.

The meeting also focused on Monday's claim projected through a letter submitted by leaders of the Sena, the Congress and the NCP before Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari of inviting them to form the government stating that the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis would not be able to prove majority on the floor of the House.

The meeting of the top BJP leaders was held soon after the conclusion of a joint sitting on the occasion of the 70th Constitution Day, and following the judgment of the Supreme Court which earlier in the day ordered a floor test by 5 p.m. on Wednesday after considering the competing claims of the opposition parties.

Having heard the parties, the bench of the top court comprising Justices N. V. Ramana, Sanjeev Khanna and Ashok Bhushan were of the opinion that since oath taking of the MLAs had not taken place a floor test should be conducted as soon as possible on November 27.

The court said a pro-tem speaker would be appointed and the floor test would not be conducted by secret ballot and the proceedings would be telecast live.IANS