Maharashtra shake-up: Sibal accuses BJP of toppling Opposition govts

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday accused the BJP of toppling Opposition governments in states such as Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in the last few years and said it was "over to the Supreme Court" to act on the trend.

The remarks by Sibal, a noted advocate, came after NCP leader Ajit Pawar and eight others were inducted into the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

Ajit Pawar pulled off a stunning revolt in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday, triggering a vertical split, and joined hands with the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra to become the deputy chief minister.

In a tweet, Sibal said, "The BJP: Toppled by inducement of office and otherwise the following elected opposition governments: Uttarakhand (2016); Arunachal Pradesh (2016); Karnataka (2019); Madhya Pradesh (2020); Maharashtra (2022)." "The law now permits it? Over to the Supreme Court!" the independent Rajya Sabha MP  said.

Sibal on Monday had also taken a swipe at the BJP over Ajit Pawar joining the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, saying "first attack the corrupt and then embrace" them.

In a sudden turn of events that capped weeks of speculation over his next political move, Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the deputy chief minister by Governor Ramesh Bais at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhawan in Mumbai on Sunday.