Politics

The statement by Murmu, who took over on October 31 as the first Lt Governor of the Union Territory, will come as a relief to political parties.

Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief and actor Pawan Kalyan, who met senior TDP leaders at his residence here on Wednesday morning, extended his support to the fast.

Prithviraj Chavan was referring to BJP leader Narayan Rane's statement on Tuesday that former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had asked Rane to start work on forming a BJP-led government in the state.

Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat, former state chief minister Ashok Chavan and senior party leader Manikrao Thakare held talks with Thackeray at a suburban hotel.

No one was injured in the incident but window panes of the minister's vehicle and a police jeep were damaged.

Then Assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had disqualified these 17 MLAs of ruling the Congress-JD(S) coalition ahead of a trust vote in July.

The Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan launched the counter-attack a day after Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy referred to his three marriages while slamming the critics of the decision to introduce English as the medium of instruction in all government schools, .

The BJP, with 105 seats, stepped back from staking claim to form a government, while the Sena, which went to the governor on Monday evening, could not get letters of support from the Congress and NCP.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which is trying to form a possible coalition government with the support of the NCP and Congress, had failed to secure the requisite letters from both the parties.

A spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs said Governor BS Koshyari decided to recommend President's Rule in the state after NCP leaders met him at 11:30am and sought three more days to prove their numbers.

Founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena in its more than five decades long journey has allied with the Congress, formally and informally.

'We will file a second petition today itself if the President's rule is imposed in the state,' Advocate Sunil Fernandes, who filed the first petition on behalf of Shiv Sena, said.

KC Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge postponed their visit after NCP chief Sharad Pawar conveyed that state leaders of both the parties will first discuss the 'terms and conditions' of government formation.

Sidhu, a former Punjab Minister, had travelled to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan on Saturday on the invitation of Imran Khan on the occasion of opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Punjab Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said 'this discrimination with Punjabi language by the Centre and that too in Punjab will not be tolerated'.

The development came hours after the BJP, which emerged the largest party with 105 seats in the Assembly polls, stated that it would not stake claim to form the government.