'We have electoral, moral mandate to form govt in Maha'

The BJP asserted on Saturday that it had the "electoral and moral" mandate to form government in Maharashtra and brushed aside the criticism of its alliance with NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was accused by the saffron party in the past of corruption, saying the tie-up was guided by current circumstances.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the Congress-NCP and the Shiv Sena, saying those who were "dead opposed" to each other joined hands to "grab" power, while the saffron party and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had won the popular mandate to form government.

Addressing a press conference here, Prasad said the Maharashtra governor took the decision to swear-in Fadnavis and Pawar as the chief minister and the deputy chief minister after both leaders, as the heads of their respective legislative parties, gave the letters of support of their MLAs.

The governor had no counter-claim by any other party or alliance, Prasad said.