Maharashtra govt formation: Timeline from November 26

After over a month of complexed political manoeuvres, finally, on November 26, Maharashtra's political situation now looks clear. Through the day, we saw Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar step down from their posts after the Supreme Court ordered a floor test before 5 pm on Wednesday. In the second half of the day, the attention shifted to the NCP and the Shiv Sena who chose the leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi as Uddhav Thackeray and declared him as their CM candidate. Ajit Pawar also tried to sort out things at his end as he went to meet his uncle Sharad Pawar at his residence.

Here is the timeline of events as they occurred through the day

9.46 pm: Meeting of elected members and senior leaders of the BJP begins in Mumbai

9.39 pm: Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine's chief ministerial nominee Uddhav Thackeray reaches Raj Bhavan, stakes claim to form government in Maharashtra.

9.39 pm: NCP leader Ajit Pawar reaches residence of party chief Sharad Pawar.

9.10 pm: Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance announces Uddhav Thackeray as its nominee for the CM's post.

9.12 pm: Left parties question the role of the governor in the formation of the Maharashtra govt by the BJP.

8.41 pm: NCP's Nawab Malik says swearing-in of Sena-NCP-Cong govt in Maharashtra to be held at Shivaji Park on Dec 1.

8.12 pm: Former PM H D Deve Gowda says Maharashtra governor "committed a mistake" by hastily revoking President's rule and swearing in Devendra Fadnavis as CM.

7.47 pm: The opportunistic alliance of defeated parties will not enjoy the public support and will invite public wrath, says BJP's G V L Narasimha Rao.

7.39 pm: Congress says Governor Koshiyari should shed his RSS-BJP cloak and invite its alliance with the Shiv Sena and the NCP to form a government in the state.

6.07 pm: NCP says collapse of the Fadnavis govt has punctured the BJP's "arrogance".

6.07 pm: Congress says the Fadnavis-led govt in Maharashtra was based on "defections" and fell like a "house of cards", and asked Governor Koshiyari to invite its alliance to form a govt in the state.

5.59 pm: BJP says parties "rejected by people" have joined hands to "steal" popular mandate. The party said the decision to form the govt despite lacking numbers was done in "good faith" after being assured of the NCP's support by its leader Ajit Pawar.

5.52 pm: Maharashtra governor convenes Assembly session, MLAs to be sworn in on Wednesday.

5.50 pm: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to be next CM, NCP leader Nawab Malik says, adding Sena, NCP and Cong will continue alliance for 20-25 years.

5.06 pm: BJP's Kalidas Kolambkar appointed as pro-tem Speaker of Maharashtra assembly.

4.34 pm: Fadnavis submits resignation as Maharashtra CM to Governor B K Koshyari

3.44 pm: CM Fadnavis tells press conference that he will go to Raj Bhawan to tender resignation. He said Shiv Sena threatened BJP over CM's post.

3.42 pm: NCP's Ajit Pawar gave his resignation leading to realisation we don't have the numbers: Fadnavis

3.36 pm: Maharashtra poll mandate was more for BJP than Shiv Sena: Fadnavis at a press conference.

3.20 pm: Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar has resigned, says Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

3.18 pm: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut claims Ajit Pawar is now with Sena-Congress-NCP alliance.

3.16 pm: Uddhav Thackeray to be CM for five years: Sanjay Raut after meeting of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance leaders

3.01 pm: PM Narendra Modi holds a meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah and the party's working president J P Nadda after the SC orders a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday.

2.29 pm: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticises Congress for boycotting the Constitution Day celebrations in Parliament and said it is an "insult" to Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

2.17 pm: Ahead of floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly, Congress calls for appointment of senior-most lawmaker in assembly as pro-tem speaker, saying precedents and conventions should be followed.

1.18 pm: All newly elected BJP MLAs in Maharashtra have been asked to reach Mumbai to attend a meeting which will be addressed by Fadnavis in the evening.

12.34 pm: Ex-PM Manmohan Singh says the way the Centre behaved in Maharashtra, not certain constitutional norms safe in hands of present establishment.

12.18 pm: Congress president Sonia Gandhi expresses confidence of a win in Maharashtra Assembly floor test.

12.07 PM: Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde says CM Devendra Fadnavis should resign as the Uddhav Thackeray's party-led coalition has the support of "162 MLAs" to prove majority in the Maharashtra Assembly.

11.50 am: The BJP says floor test in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday will establish the position of different parties in its entirety.
Its national spokesperson Nalin Kohli rejects the contention that the SC order is a "setback" to the BJP.

11.46 am: Security stepped up around the Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai. Elaborate police arrangement has been made to avoid any untoward incident outside the premises.

11.39 am: NCP chief Sharad Pawar says he is grateful to SC for upholding democratic values.

11.32 am: Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Shiv Sena, skip a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on Constitution Day in protest against the BJP's alleged high-handedness in Maharashtra.

11.22 am: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says truth cannot be defeated.

11.03 am: End of BJP's game, says NCP on Supreme Court's ruling over Maha political drama.

11 am: Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan says his party, Sena and NCP are satisfied with SC order of floor test, Constitution has been respected on Constitution Day.

10.42 am: SC directs Maha Governor Koshyari to ensure all elected members of the House are sworn-in on Wednesday itself.

10.39 am: Floor test in Maharashtra Assembly for CM Fadnavis to prove majority in the assembly will be held on Wednesday: SC

9.14 am: In an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party lashes out at Maharashtra governor over the hush hush swearing-in ceremony of CM Fadnavis. It said while one Bhagat Singh went to the gallows for freedom, the other one "hanged" democracy in the darkness of night.

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