Maharashtra Elections 2024: President’s Rule Looms as CM Decision Delays
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Maharashtra’s 14th Assembly term ends on November 26. Despite Mahayuti’s win in the 2024 elections, failure to select a CM by deadline may lead to President’s Rule.
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mahayuti Must Act or Risk President’s Rule
The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 results are out, and once again, the Mahayuti alliance has secured a thumping victory. However, the clock is indeed ticking as the 14th Assembly's term ends at midnight on November 26, without an alliance staking its claim to form the government. If no decision is made before the deadline, the state may face President's Rule.
History Repeats?
A similar deadlock occurred in 2019 when a dispute over the position of the Chief Minister between BJP and Shiv Sena resulted in delay in the government formation. During this period, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari suggested President's Rule which was eventually revoked when BJP established an alliance-based government led by Devendra Fadnavis that lasted just 80 hours. And subsequently, Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister.
Current Scenario
Despite their landslide victory, Mahayuti has yet to finalize a chief minister candidate nor induct the newly elected legislators. The Election Commission has put in all the formalities, issuance of certificates to winners and publication of their names in the State Gazette under Section 73 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. On November 24, Chief Electoral Officer S. Chokalingam and Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar handed over the list of newly elected MLAs to Governor CP Radhakrishnan.
Options Before the Governor
In the event that no party wants to form the government, the Governor can invoke Article 356, recommending President's Rule. This does not necessarily entail the dissolution of the Assembly; elected MLAs remain in place under Article 172, and their term can be extended by one year in emergency situations. The Governor can instead invite the largest party to form the government or consider alliances with smaller parties if the largest party declines. As time winds up, everyone awaits the next move of Mahayuti, as Maharashtra is again on the brink of facing political instability or President's Rule.
