NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party will have to prove it has majority support for forming the government in the western state of Maharashtra, according to a ruling by India's top court on Tuesday (Nov 26).

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana ordered a floor test in the state legislature on Wednesday so that the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as the state chief minister in a rushed early morning ceremony on Saturday, can show he has over half of the lawmakers backing him.

It said the directions were needed to "uphold democratic values and constitutional morality".

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party in state elections in October, but fell short of a clear majority in the 288-seat legislature.

A pre-poll alliance with its regional partner, the Shiv Sena, fell apart over sharing the chief minister's post.

Since then, the race to form a government in the country's richest state has been something of a political thriller with unexpected alliances, infighting, a hurried swearing-in, and a Sunday hearing in the top court.

Last week, the state's main opposition party, Mr Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, the Shiv Sena and the Congress party had announced a plan to form a coalition government.

The plan was thwarted overnight with the BJP's Fadnavis being sworn in as chief minister and Mr Ajit Pawar, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, as deputy chief minister.

Maharashtra is India's richest state and its capital Mumbai, a city of 18 million people, is home to companies such as Reliance Industries and Tata Group, India's two main stock markets and the country's film industry.