President's rule imposed in Maharashtra

New Delhi, Sep 28 : President's rule was Sunday imposed in poll-bound Maharashtra. President's rule has been imposed and the state assembly has been kept under suspended animation in Maharashtra, an official release said here. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are slated for Oct 15. The decision to impose President's rule was cleared by the union cabinet in a meeting Saturday, following a recommendation to this effect by Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao after resignation of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Friday. Chavan's resignation came a day after ally Nationalist Congress Party Thursday ended its 15-year-old alliance with the Congress in the state and withdrew support to the Congress-led Democratic Front government, reducing it to a minority. The governor accepted Chavan's resignation Saturday and asked him to continue as caretaker chief minister till alternative arrangements could be made.