As the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature begins on March 6 amid strains in ties between the ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena, the opposition today indicated it could try to exploit the fissures by pressing for a floor test.
The bitter face-off between the two saffron parties in the civic polls had cast a shadow on the Devendra Fadnavis government's stability, with Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray having said it was put on "notice".
The just-concluded civic polls in the state had witnessed a grim Sena-BJP fight, especially for the prestigious Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), where the results threw up a fractured verdict.
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The suspense over alignment of parties for controlling the Mumbai civic body still continues, with the Congress, which finished third in the race with 31 seats, ruling out support to the Sena and the BJP refusing to accept Congress's backing.
The Congress and NCP leaders will meet here on March 3 to discuss floor coordination to take on the government, said Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
Congress leader Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan said "all options", including a no-confidence motion, are open before the party. "The Fadnavis government has failed to fulfil any of the commitments it made during the elections. We will explore all options possible to corner the government."
However, former Chief Minister Narayan Rane said if the ally (the Sena) withdraws support to the government there would be no need to bring a no confidence motion.
According to observers, since Shiv Sena is more interested in installing its candidate as Mumbai Mayor than continuing in the government, it may take a stand on quitting the government if the BJP thwarts its attempts to secure the post.
The budget for 2017-18, the third since the Fadnavis government came to power in October 2014, will be presented on March 18.
After a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat said the session, having 23 working days, will conclude on April 7.
The session will start with Governor C Vidyasagar Rao's customary address to the joint sitting of the two Houses.
The legislative business includes two pending bills and six ordinances to be replaced by legislations.
On March 21, both Houses will felicitate NCP chief Sharad Pawar and PWP legislator Ganpatrao Deshmukh, who have completed 50 years in electoral politics.
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