Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: What is a hung assembly? How is a government formed in case of a hung assembly?

The Election Commission announced the polling and result dates for the Assembly election for 288 seats in Maharashtra, to be held on November 20 and vote-counting on November 23. While the prominent parties in fray include two factions of Shiv Sena, two NCP factions and Congress, there has been much chatter about a CM face from both sides and Sena (UBT) has been pushing for declaring the CM face before the assembly elections but has failed to secure backing from allies Congress and NCP (SP).

On its part, the Mahayuti has refrained from announcing its CM face so far.

Addressing a joint press conference with allies Shinde and NCP head Ajit Pawar, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the ruling parties were not bothered about the CM face ahead of the November 20 assembly polls.

What is a hung Assembly and how is a government formed in such a case?

In the event that no political party or alliance receives absolute majority, a hung parliament is declared. In this case, no party can form a government without support from other political parties. In such a scenario, the Governor invites the leader of the single largest party to form the government and usually a 10-day window is given to show absolute majority. If no absolute majority can be shown in the prescribed timeframe, then the Governor dissolves the house and calls for re-election.

External support to form a government

If parties and alliances don't manage an absolute majority, then it can seek external support from a political party to form a government. Usually, the party offering external support is not a part of the government and its politicians don't have ministerial positions. Governments formed using external support tend to be fragile and vulnerable as there is no commitment from the party that's offering external support.

Minority government

A minority government is one where the government doesn’t have an absolute majority and so, can’t pass laws without the votes of parties not participating in the government. There have been cases in the past wherein the minority government survived a vote of no-confidence because the MPs abstained from voting for the government and hence, saved the government from defeat. Minority governments don't usually complete their full terms in office.

In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) is fighting against the ruling Mahayuti consisting of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ajit Pawar-helmed NCP.

Incidentally, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said he would visit Maharashtra on Friday and seek more seats to contest the upcoming Assembly elections there as part of the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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