Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and wife Amruta (PTI photo)
The minority BJP government in Maharashtra will have to seek trust vote on the floor of the house on November 12. A three-day session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held from November 10 for the purpose.
Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had given Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis 15 days from the day of swearing-in of his government to prove its majority in the 288-member House.
The BJP became the single largest party in the state, winning 122 seats in the recently concluded assembly elections. After the death of an MLA, its strength has come down to 121, but it has claimed support of all seven independents and six others from smaller parties.
The BJP's prospective ally Shiv Sena has 63 legislators. Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, which has already offered outside support to the BJP and has promised to abstain from voting, has 41 MLAs. If the NCP abstains, the BJP, instead of needing 145 to attain majority in the 288-member House, will need only 124.
The BJP is yet to respond to the NCP's offer and its talks with the Shiv Sena are in the doldrums. Still, the party pushed ahead with the swearing-in of a mini cabinet led by Mr Fadnavis last week.
Today, in an interview to NDTV, the Chief Minister said the talks are on track. "I am totally confident that we will form an alliance with the Shiv Sena and it will be a strong government," Mr Fadnavis said.