MUMBAI, Nov 1 - The impasse over government formation in Maharashtra continued on Friday, eight days after Assembly poll results were announced, even as the Congress targeted the BJP for �cheating� the Shiv Sena.
Maharashtra may head for President�s rule if the new government in the state is not in place by November 7, Finance Minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said.
The tenure of the existing Legislative Assembly ends on November 8.
Mungantiwar said the delay in talks between BJP and Sena was due to the Diwali festival, adding parleys will start in a day or two.
�People of Maharashtra have given mandate not to any party but to the Mahayuti (alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and other parties),� he said. �Our alliance is stronger than Fevicol or Ambuja Cement,� he added.
�A new government will have to be in place within the stipulated time, or else the President will have to intervene. President�s rule will be imposed if the government formation doesn�t happen in the given time,� Mungantiwar said.
Maharashtra will have chief minister from the Shiv Sena, senior party leader Sanjay Raut said.
Talking to reporters here, he said there have been no talks yet between the BJP and Sena on government formation.
If the Sena decides, it can get the required numbers to form a stable government in Maharashtra, he said.
People have given mandate to form government on the basis of �50:50 formula� that was reached in front of the people of Maharashtra, Raut said.
In the just-held state polls, the BJP won 105 seats, while the Sena got 56 in the 288-member Assembly. The NCP got 54 and the Congress 44 seats.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is demanding the CM�s post for 2.5 years and 50:50 division of portfolios.
Both these demands have been rejected by the BJP which has insisted that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to hold the post for the next five years. � PTI
