Cabinet recommends President's Rule in poll-bound Maharashtra

The Union Cabinet today recommended imposition of President's Rule in assembly poll-bound Maharashtra, a day after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned following the end of 15-year-old Congress-NCP alliance in the state.

The brief Cabinet meeting, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is in the US, decided to recommend to the President central rule in the state where assembly polls will be held on October 15, sources said.

After NCP withdrew support, Chavan resigned and his resignation was accepted by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao today. As assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled next month, the Governor in his report to the Centre has recommend imposition of President's rule in the state, said the sources.

NCP had on Thursday called off its alliance with Congress accusing Chavan of neglecting it and stalling talks over seat-sharing. NCP's insistence on the two allies contesting an equal number of the state's 288 assembly seats and demand for rotational chief ministership for half of the government's five-year term if the alliance retained power were the sticking points during the seat-sharing talks which eventually led to the collapse of the alliance.