Uddhav resigns as CM, MVA crumbles; BJP-Eknath Shinde group set to stake claim

Thackeray also resigned as member of Maharashtra Legislative Council

Nine days after a rebellion split the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray resigned as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister late Wednesday.

With the resignation, the two-and-a-half-year-old Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress crumbled. Thackeray not only reigned as Chief Minister but also quit his membership in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde (58), the topmost leader outside the Thackeray family and Thane strongman, rebelled and swelled his strength to 39 Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents and smaller parties.

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Thackeray put in his papers hours after the Supreme Court cleared the floor test for Thursday, hours after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called a test of numbers in wake of a letter from Leader of Opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis.

For Thackeray, the major priority is to save the party and he also announced that he would now start sitting in the Shiv Sena Bhavan and resurrect the party again that his late father Balasaheb Thackeray founded 56 years ago.

“In a democracy, heads are counted to show numbers. I am not interested in that. I don't want to play these kinds of games. Tomorrow, they will say that they have brought down Shiv Sena ‘pramukh’ Balasaheb Thackeray's son,” he said.

“Shiv Sena is one family, and will not let it be pulled apart. I am not going anywhere, I will gather all our supporters, we will rebuild it,” he added.

The Shinde camp has moved from Surat to Guwahati and has now reached Goa. They are expected to arrive in Mumbai on Thursday. After that Fadnavis and Shinde would meet Koshyari and formally stake claim to form the next government.

Shinde and the BJP leadership have been in negotiations for the last few days over the formation of a new government and distribution of portfolios among other things.

While Fadnavis is expected to return as Chief Minister, Shinde, who has served as Leader of Opposition and seven and a half years as Cabinet minister, could be the new Deputy CM.