Outside Shiv Sena bhavan on Sunday evening. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)Maharashtra Political Crisis News Highlights: MLA Bharatshet Gogawale, who is part of the Eknath Shinde camp, while voicing his reasons for the rebellion, said: “CM Uddhav Thackeray didn’t hold a single meeting in the last two-and-a-half years with the Shiv Sena leaders who lost the Assembly polls in 2019. On contrary, state’s Deputy CM Ajit Pawar gave funds to the NCP candidates who had lost the polls. During this time, it was Eknath Shinde who supported them.”
Amid the heightening political crisis in Maharashtra, Rebel MLA Eknath Shinde on Sunday challenged the Shiv Sena’s move to disqualify him and 15 other MLA’s in the Supreme Court. The apex court will hear the matter tomorrow at 10:30 am. Earlier today, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar assured his support for Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery “till last minute” and said that the policy of NCP and Congress are clear to support the ruling coalition. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Pawar said, “Eknath Shinde and other MLAs who’ve gone with him to Guwahati have said to form a new alliance but NCP and Congress’ policy is clear to support the coalition government that we had formed. MVA govt is there(in Maharashtra) and we want to continue supporting it.”
Meanwhile, Union Minister Maharashtra Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said that the rebel MLAs “who are traitors” will not be taken back into Shiv Sena and the party’s doors are open “for those who want to to leave and for those who want to return to the party.” Shiv Sena’s Uday Samant, MLA from Ratnagiri Vidhan Saba flew to Guwahati on Sunday afternoon from Surat. He is the ninth minister to join the rebel camp. Fifteen of the rebel MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp have been granted central security cover by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Sources said the 15 MLAs do not include leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde. Among those included are Ramesh Bornare, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Shirsat, Latabai Sonawane, Prakas Surve and 10 others.
MLA Bharatshet Gogawale, who is part of the Eknath Shinde camp, while voicing his reasons for the rebellion, said: “CM Uddhav Thackeray didn't hold a single meeting in the last two-and-a-half years with the Shiv Sena leaders who lost the Assembly polls in 2019. On contrary, state's Deputy CM Ajit Pawar gave funds to the NCP candidates who had lost the polls. During this time, it was Eknath Shinde who supported them.”
Amid the heightening political crisis in Maharashtra, Rebel MLA Eknath Shinde on Sunday challenged the Shiv Sena’s move to disqualify him and 15 other MLA’s in the Supreme Court. The apex court will hear the matter tomorrow at 10:30 am.
Maharashtra Minister of Higher & Technical Education, Uday Samant reached Guwahati on Sunday and became the ninth minister to join the Eknath Shinde camp.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that the 40 MLAs in Guwahati are living corpses and their souls are dead. "Their bodies will be sent directly to the Assembly for post-mortem when they come back. They know what can happen in the fire that has been lit here," Raut said while talking to reporters.
Amid the broiling political crisis in Maharashtra, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar assured his support for Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery "till last minute" and said that the policy of NCP and Congress are clear to support the ruling coalition. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Pawar said, "Eknath Shinde and other MLAs who've gone with him to Guwahati have said to form a new alliance but NCP and Congress' policy is clear to support the coalition government that we had formed. MVA govt is there(in Maharashtra) and we want to continue supporting it."
Maharashtra Governor B S Koshiyari has written to Chief Secretary, additional chief secretary home, DGP and police commissioner of Mumbai to provide security to all MLAs and their families who are in Guwahati on an immediate basis.
Even as a political turmoil unfolds in Maharashtra, Union Minister Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said that the rebel MLAs 'who are traitors' will not be taken back into Shiv Sena and the party's doors are open 'for those who want to to leave and for those who want to return to the party.
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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday posted a tweet targetting the rebel MLAs of the party, in which he said that however long they may "hide" in Assam's Guwahati, they will ultimately have to come to "chowpatty", a reference to Mumbai.
"How long will you hide in Guwahati, you will have to come to chowpatty," the Sena MP tweeted in Hindi along with a photo of the state Assembly's Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal looking into the distance.
Shiv Sena's Uday Samant, MLA from Ratnagiri Vidhan Saba flew to Guwahati on Sunday afternoon from Surat. Samant is another member from Uddhav camp to fly and join Eknath Shinde camp. He is the eight minister to join the rebel camp.
Security outside Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Sada Sarvankar's house.
Loyalists of party president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took out a two-wheeler rally in Mumbai and held protests in parts of Pune against the dissident leaders on Sunday.Sena workers and its local functionaries, led by the Pune city unit president Gajanan Tharkude, staged 'jode maro' (hit with footwear) protests at two places - outside Balgandharva auditorium and in Kothrud - and raised slogans against the rebels. The party workers were seen hitting Shinde's photo with footwear."These protests are meant to put out a message that Shiv Sainiks will not forgive the traitors," Tharkude said. Party corporators, local office-bearers and workers took part in the agitations, he said, adding that a two-wheeler rally was also organised in support of Thackeray.
In a warning to the Shiv Sena rebel leaders currently in Guwahati with Eknath Shinde, party leader and cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray said the road from Mumbai airport to Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex, goes via Worli (a Shiv Sena bastion currently represented by the Yuva Sena chief).
The 30-year-old son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also said there was no place for "traitors" in the party. (PTI)
The ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram' politics of the '80s in India has acquired a whole new meaning these days with rebel lawmakers checking-in to cool-off at luxurious resorts while sending political temperatures soaring outside.
Be it an attempt to topple the government in Maharashtra or keeping the flock of lawmakers together during recently-held Rajya Sabha polls, the new normal is for them to be moved to a luxury hotel or resort which is turned into an impregnable fortress by the party that holds reins of those legislators.
The focus is back on resort politics with a dissident group of Shiv Sena MLAs lead by Eknath Shinde moving into Guwahati's Radisson Blu Hotel, where they are cooling their heels after they were shifted from a hotel in Surat last week, throwing the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena and the MVA government in Maharashtra into an existential crisis.
While over the years on many occasions resort politics has yielded positive results for the rebels, it has also seen its share of failed bids like the 1982 Devi Lal-BJP coalition failing to prevent an MLA from escaping from a hotel where legislators were lodged and also Congress leader Sachin Pilot recently not going the distance to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government. (PTI)
Even as a political turmoil unfolds in Maharashtra, 15 of the rebel MLAs have been granted central security cover by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Sources said the 15 MLAs granted security does not include leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde. Among those included are Ramesh Bornare, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Shirsat, Latabai Sonawane, Prakas Surve and 10 others. They said the MLAs have been granted Y plus security cover of the CRPF and the elected respresentatives will be protected both when mobile and at home.
The move comes following reports of attacks on residences of rebel MLAs in Maharashtra by alleged workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and it suppprters. "The decision has been taken after a threat assessment by the Intelligence Bureau and only those MLAs who have a genuine threat have been provided protection," a home ministry official said.
In a meeting of Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders held at Sharad Pawar's Silver Oak residence, the possible legal battle ahead in the face of the instability the government faces was discussed.
Senior Congress leaders and ministers Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan, Shiv Sena's Anil Desai and Parab, and state ministers Dilip Walse Patil and Ajit Pawar were present. The leaders reflected on current political developments in Maharashtra. They also discussed the possible legal battle ahead as the rebel Eknath Shinde faction indicated they will challenge disqualification notices issued by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal in court.
The Meeting of Eknath Shinde faction began in Guwahati to discuss further strategies and legal aspects, sources told ANI. Another important meeting could be held later today.
The camp of rebel MLAs will approach court after seekiing legal opinion on Maharashtra Deputy Speaker's decision to remove Eknath Shinde as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, sources told ANI. The Shinde faction says the Deputy Speaker should have given at least seven days to rebel MLAs to reply to the notice.
The political crisis brewing in Maharashtra spilt over on the streets as Shiv Sena workers led a bike rally in Mumbai and a 'joote maaro andolan' in Pune to protest Eknath Shinde's rebellion.
Meanwhile, Shinde's supporters painted over posters installed in support of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Thane.
Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said people trust the party led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "Uddhav ji said that those who have rebelled should not use the Shiv Sena name and use their father's name and ask for votes," he said.
He further hit out at the rebel MLAs, adding that they have to come to Mumbai to execute their strategies and plans. "Thousands and lakhs of Shiv Sainiks are waiting for our one gesture, but we have still exercised restraint," Raut said.