Maharashtra is witnessing President’s Rule for the third time in its history with the first being in 1980 and the second in 2014. Interestingly, Pawar has always been in the mix of things on all the three occasions, the Shiv Sena being an addition this time round.
It was the Sharad Pawar-led Progressive Democratic Front Government that the Congress had dismissed first in 1980 to impose President’s Rule.
In 2014, the Congress Government led by Prithvi Raj Chavan was dismissed by the Narendra Modi dispensation after it lost majority following Sharad Pawar’s NCP withdrawing support to it.
The longest duration that Maharashtra was under President’s Rule was for 112 days from February 17, 1980, to June 8, 1980, despite then Chief Minister Sharad Pawar enjoying majority in the House. When Indira came back to power in 1980, she dismissed all non-Congress State Governments in Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, besides Maharashtra. She was retaliating for the dismissal of eight Congress Governments by the Janata Party dispensation in 1977.
She wanted to ensure the Congress majority in the country after the collapse of the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party Government at the Centre. Pawar was leading the coalition Government in Maharashtra at that time and he had won the majority. The President’s Rule came to an end when Abdul Rehman Antulay took over as the Chief Minister of the State.
President’s Rule was again imposed for 32 days from September 28, 2014, to October 31, 2014, after then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned following the break-up of the 15-year-old Congress-NCP alliance. The NCP had pulled out of the alliance after blaming Congress for stalling talks over seat-sharing.
Article 356, known as President’s Rule, deals with failure of constitutional machinery in the State. Under President’s Rule, the Governor runs the State with the help of the Chief Secretary. But the Governor cannot take any policy decisions, which can only be taken by the Union Government with the assent of Parliament.
