JOIN USRebel Shiv Sena MLAs declare Eknath Shinde their leader
All 37 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who are camping in Guwahati on Thursday sent a letter to Maharashtra Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, stating that Eknath Shinde will remain their group leader in the legislature as more MLAs joined the rebel camp.
Earlier in the day, Zirwal had said that he had approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the group leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party, replacing senior minister Shinde who has rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership.
Shinde on Thursday evening sent a letter to the deputy speaker, signed by 37 Sena MLAs who are currently staying with him in Guwahati. It also informed that Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale has been appointed as chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu.
As the Uddhav Thackeray camp was mulling filing an appeal with the Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker seeking disqualification of around 12 rebel MLAs, Shinde hit back, tweeting, “Who are you trying to scare? According to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, the whip is for legislative work, not for meetings. There are numerous SC decisions on this.”
Sources said the number of Sena rebels in Guwahati crossed the critical number of 37 required to split the Sena in the Assembly without attracting the provisions of the anti-defection law. However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the fate of the MVA government would be decided on the Assembly floor and not in Guwahati. He said the BJP was behind the rebellion.
Pawar’s comments came after a video surfaced with Shinde telling the rebel MLAs in Guwahati that they had the support of a “national party”.
“We are united, and victory will be ours. There is a national party, a ‘mahashakti’. You know they vanquished Pakistan. That party has said that we have taken a historic decision and assured all help,” he said.
Until Wednesday, Shinde had demanded that Shiv Sena break ties with NCP-Congress but was silent on his stand on any alliance with the BJP.
While Thackeray seems to have decided to quit, Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, earlier in the day, said the party was ready to leave the MVA government, but the rebels should return to Mumbai in 24 hours. Raut claimed that 18-20 MLAs now in Guwahati were in touch with the party.
With PTI inputs