On a tense day that the NCP and Congress held consultations to decide on extending support to the Shiv Sena, media channels were agog with claims Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had recommended President's Rule in Maharashtra.
The reports came from a tweet from national broadcaster Doordarshan that Koshyari has recommended that President's Rule be imposed in the state.
However, soon after the reports, Raj Bhavan officially denied the claims, declaring no such recommendations had been given.
The announcement came after both the BJP and Shiv Sena were unable to prove their ability to stake claim to form the government. Interestingly, Koshyari had given the NCP time until 8.30pm on Tuesday to confirm its willingness to stake claim.
Maharashtra had been facing political uncertainty since the announcement of election results on October 23. While the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won a clear majority, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement on sharing the chief minister's post. Both the Shiv Sena and NCP had criticised claims by a BJP leader that president's rule could be imposed if the instability continued.
