New Delhi:
Maharashtra’s ‘maha twist’ can leave anybody flummoxed. While all newspapers were carrying headlines such as ‘Uddhav Thackeray to be next Maharashtra CM,’; ‘NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena to make formal announcement today’, at around 8 am, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister in a hush-hush ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Saturday. From Ajit Pawar’s ‘rebellion’ to Shiv Sena’s imminent split, too many wild speculations are doing rounds. Politics aside, there are some key bureaucratic rules that should have been adhered to before any action at Raj Bhavan. It should be noted that the President’s Rule was imposed in Maharashtra on November 11. Hence the overnight developments should have ticked all right boxes before Fadnavis was allowed to take oath as the Chief Ministers. More than the tension in NCP and trouble of Sanjay Raut , here are five urgent questions that need to be answered: (MAHARASHTRA LIVE UPDATES)
1. When did Governor send report to President?
Remember, Maharashtra was under the President’s Rule. So before doing anything, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari must have had sent a report to President Ram Nath Kovind. When did that happen?
2. When did President accept the report and send it to the Union Cabinet?
As late as 11 pm, NCP, Shiv Sen and the Congress were confident of forming the government. So, in case Governor Koshyari sent the report, when did the President accept the report and sent it to the Modi Cabinet?
3. When was Union Cabinet meeting convened and who were part of it?
It’s not that easy. The Union Cabinet must convene and discuss the report before acting on it. When was that meeting held in New Delhi?
4. When was Cabinet note issued regarding lifting of President's Rule?
If the President’s Rule was revoked at 5:47 am, when was the Cabinet note issued regarding it?
5. At what time President accepted the Cabinet note?
Above all, what was the time when Kovind accepted the Cabinet note. The key timeline will be the only way to understand the massive Maharashtra twist.
