Security has been tightened outside the Taj Resort and Convention Centre in Goa’s Dona Paula ahead of the arrival of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and MLAs backing him. The rebel leaders will fly to Mumbai Thursday to take part in the floor test at the Maharashtra legislative assembly. The Shinde faction, which is set to break away from Shiv Sena and stake claim to form the government in Maharashtra with the BJP, is expected to arrive in Goa late evening after a long stay in Guwahati. The rebel MLAs took off from Guwahati even as Shiv Sena's petition challenging the floor test called on Thursday by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was being heard in the Supreme Court. Flying in closer to Mumbai on a special Spice Jet flight, Panaji will be the third stop for the breakaway legislators in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. While initially they had reached Surat, they later shifted to Guwahati and will now reach Panaji. The sea-facing hotel located in the posh Dona Paula area near Panaji is a short distance from the Goa Raj Bhavan. “On Wednesday evening, there was heavy police deployment outside the hotel with over 100 rooms booked for the Shinde camp and their aides,” said sources. As tourists milled around the hotel lobby Wednesday, sources added that armed officers of the Goa Police kept vigil at the hotel. Outside, there was heavy barricading on what was an overcast Wednesday afternoon. Sources also said that senior police officers of the Goa Police also reviewed the security arrangements at the five-star hotel Wednesday evening. The Goa Police have also strengthened its checks at its northern border at Patradevi. Goa shares a border with Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Shiv Sena MLA from Sidhudurg Vaibhav Naik is backing Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray while senior Shiv Sena leader and MLA from Sawantwadi Deepak Kesarkar is among the rebels with Shinde.
