Eknath Shinde Camp On Why No Disqualification Notice For Aaditya Thackeray

"We have given the notice to disqualify all persons who defied our whip except Aaditya Thackeray. We have not given the name of Aaditya Thackeray due to respect towards Balasaheb Thackeray," said Bharat Gogawale

The Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde faction, after winning the majority test in the Maharashtra assembly, has given a petition to Speaker Rahul Narwekar to suspend 16 MLAs of Uddhav Thackeray faction for defying the whip to support the government. The name of Aaditya Thackeray -- former minister and the son of Uddhav Thackeray -- was however missing. The chief whip of the faction, Bharat Gogawale, said it was out of "respect", reported news agency ANI.

"We have given the notice to disqualify all persons who defied our whip except Aaditya Thackeray. We have not given the name of Aaditya Thackeray due to respect towards Balasaheb Thackeray," Mr Gogawale was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The Shinde faction has claimed it is the real Sena, basing it on the support of over two-thirds of the party MLAs. Even during the vote today, one MLA from the Thackeray camp joined the rebels, pushing up their number to 40. The party has 55 MLAs.

It has also laid claim to party founder Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy, contending that Uddhav Thackeray has diluted it with his alliance to the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party.