Maharashtra political turmoil live | Sena seeks disqualification of four more MLAs

Shiv Sena leadership to meet on June 25; rebels claim support of 50 MLAs; NCP, Congress affirm support for Uddhav

The rebellion against the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by the Sena’s second-in-command Eknath Shinde threatens to capture not only the government but also the party and the Thackerays are now fighting on two fronts.

The number of rebel MLAs stationed in Guwahati however continued to grow on Friday as the Shinde group claimed the support of 50 MLAs, including those of the Sena and Independents.

On Friday evening, Mr. Thackeray held a meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and a party delegation to discuss the possible strategy to save the government. Both allies, the NCP and the Congress, have extended absolute support to Mr. Thackeray. But the meeting of NCP leaders with the CM is said to have debated options to save the government and also the possibility of a resignation from the top post.

According to sources from the rebel camp, Mr. Shinde is now aiming to take over the entire party within the legislature, but his efforts faced a hurdle after Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal approved Ajay Chaudhary as the Sena’s legislative party leader replacing Mr. Shinde.

The Maharashtra council polls for 10 seats resulted in a nail-biting finish with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yet again trumping over tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - after the Rajya Sabha polls - by winning five out of ten seats. In what could be an alarming situation for the State government, three MLAs each from Congress and Shiv Sena cross-voted in a secret ballot held on Monday.

The rebellion by Mr. Shinde is most significant in the outfit’s 56-year-old history as it threatens to bring down the party-led government in Maharashtra, while the other revolts took place when it was not in power in the State.

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