I will leave politics if any rebel MLAs lose elections: Shinde

He said that none of the 50 rebel MLAs were in Surat or Guwahati forcibly

Continuing veiled attacks at Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared that he would resign from politics if any one of the MLAs with him lost the next elections.

“I am sure that all these 50 MLAs will win (the next) elections. If any of them lose, I will resign from politics,” Shinde said amid thunderous applause Friday.

During the trust vote, Shinde had made a similar claim. He had said that he will leave politics if the Shiv Sena and BJP don't win 200 seats.

“When all these things were happening, initially there were 30 and then 50 people with us. All of them used to encourage me, support me but I was worried as in the back of my mind, I was always thinking, what would happen to them? They have staked their political careers. I had sleepless nights but they were ‘bindaas’ and told me to go ahead,” Shinde said.

He said that none of the 50 MLAs — 40 of Shiv Sena including him and 10 from smaller parties and independents — were in Surat or Guwahati forcibly. “The MLAs came together for the cause of Hindutva and development,” he said and lashed out for being called names during the political turmoil.

The MLAs are inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray and ‘Dharmaveer’ Anand Dighe, he said. “Balasaheb used to tell us that Congress and NCP are enemies,” he said, adding that they were all suffocated in the Maha Vikas Aghadi for two and a half years.