News Analysis India

Tag: Eknath Shinde

  • Shiv Sena factions claim they sealed legislative party office in Maha Vidhan Bhavan

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena factions led by Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray separately claimed that they had sealed the Sena legislative party office in the Vidhan Bhavan here ahead of the special session which began on Sunday.

    A white paper was stuck with plastic tape on the closed doors of the Sena legislative party office, with a message in Marathi written on it saying, “The office is closed as per instructions of the Shiv Sena legislative party.”

    Earlier in the day, a source in the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde camp had claimed that they had sealed the legislative party office.

    After BJP nominee Rahul Narvekar was elected as the Speaker with the Shinde faction also voting in his favour by defeating the MVA nominee, Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray told reporters that it was the original Shiv Sena which had locked up the legislative party office.

    Speaking in the evening, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and MP Arvind Sawant said, “Some reports are claiming that the keys of the Shiv Sena legislative party office are with Eknath Shinde. These reports are false. We will open the office tomorrow.”

    When contacted, the sources in the Shinde camp said “let’s see”.

    The special two-day session of the Legislative Assembly began on Sunday with the agenda to elect the new Speaker, as the post has been lying vacant since last February.

    On Monday, the four-day-old Eknath Shinde-BJP government faces a trust vote in the House.

  • Maharashtra CM Shinde passes first hurdles, BJP gets speaker in state assembly 

    Express News Service

    Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won the first litmus test of state assembly speaker elections on Sunday. The floor test has been scheduled for July 4. 

    BJP nominated and Shinde camp supported candidate Rahul Narvekar won the assembly speaker elections by 57 votes against Shiv Sena’s Rajan Salvi. 

    Out of 288 members of the House, Narvekar got a total of 167 votes including independent MLAs and smaller parties votes while Maha Vikas Aghadi’s joint candidate Rajan Salvi got 107 votes. In this voting, the Samajwadi Party and the MIM voters were absent. Besides, seven NCP MLAs including Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh were absent while two BJP MLAs and two Congress MLAs were absent. 

    Shiv Sena asked the acting speaker Narhari Zirwal to keep on record that 39 Shiv Sena MLAs who are with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cross-voted against the party whip. He said all voting of these cross-voted Shiv Sena MLAs are kept aside and video recorded. Shiv Sena MLA and chief whip Sunil Prabhu said that these 39 rebelled Sena MLAs violated the party’s whip and crossed voted to BJP’s candidate in speaker post-elections. He said that all these MLAs who cross-voted should be disqualified for anti-party activities. 

    “This is nothing but murder of democracy. MLAs are not listening to the party on which ticket they elected. This fit to disqualify them under anti-defection laws. We will approach the court against it,” Prabhu said. 

    After the speaker election, the Shinde camp also put on record in the state assembly that the 16 Shiv Sena MLAs crossed voted against the Shiv Sena whip. Deepak Kesarkar, the spokesperson of the Shinde camp, said chief whip Bharat Gogawale had asked all the Shiv Sena MLAs including Uddhav Thackeray and Sena MLAs to vote for the BJP’s candidate Milind Marvekar, but Thackeray group voted another Shiv Sena candidate Rajan Salvi. 

    The constitutional experts said both the camp of Shiv Sena has complained against each other over cross-voting against each other candidates. “Now, both parties asked disqualification of each other MLAs. The speaker will take this matter on hearing and give his verdict. After that only, they can approach to court against the speaker’s decisions,” they added. 

    Interestingly, while counting the numbers in the state assembly, many MLAs were not able to pronounce the right numbers which created a lot of confusion and laughter. Treasury benches hurled slogans hailing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, while the opposition shouted ED when rebelled Shiv Sena MLAs counted the numbers. The head was counted to check which side how many MLAs there in speaker post-elections. After the voting, the Shinde camp and the BJP asked its MLAs to go back to the hotel Taj presidency in Mumbai. They will be again brought back on Monday for the floor test. 

    Narvekar got elected from the Colaba constituency in Mumbai. He is one of the youngest speakers of the state assembly. It is to be noted that his father-in-law Ram Raje Nimbalkar is NCP MLC and chairman of the state legislative council.

    Narvekar is a lawyer by profession. Earlier he was very close to Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray, Narvekar later joined the NCP and was very close to NCP leader Ajit Pawar. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on an NCP ticket from the Mawal constituency, later he became the NCP MLC. After which he joined the BJP and got elected in 2019 and is now elected as speaker of the state assembly. 

  • Maharashtra Assembly session from today; Shinde government to face floor test on July 4

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The four-day-old Shiv Sena-BJP government will face the floor test on July 4 during the special two-day session of the Legislative Assembly beginning here Sunday.

    The election to the post of the Speaker of the House will be held Sunday after the House proceedings begin at 11 am, an official said.

    Sena MLA and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Rajan Salvi is the candidate of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine for the Speaker’s election. He is pitted against first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar.

    ALSO READ: BJP made Eknath Shinde Maharashtra CM to wrest Mumbai from Shiv Sena, claims Raut

    Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who support Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday evening on the eve of the Assembly session, and were lodged in a luxury hotel in south Mumbai, where Vidhan Bhavan, venue of the floor test, is located.

    NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed that Narhari Zirwal, the deputy Speaker, can perform officiating Speaker’s duties even though a no-confidence motion is pending against him. The post of Speaker is vacant since February last year after Nana Patole of Congress quit.

    As many as 50 MLAs who support Shinde, including 39 rebel legislators of the Shiv Sena, on Saturday evening flew to Mumbai from Goa by a chartered flight.

    ALSO READ: MVA fields Sena’s Rajan Salvi for Assembly Speaker post against BJP’s Rahul Narvekar

    Shinde, who had flown to Goa in the morning, accompanied them back. Shinde has the support of 10 legislators of smaller parties and independents and 106 MLAs of the BJP in the 288-member House.

    Following is the party position in the Assembly: Shiv Sena 55, NCP 53, Congress 44, BJP 106, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3, Samajwadi Party 2, AIMIM 2, Prahar Janshakti Party 2, MNS 1, CPI (M) 1, PWP 1, Swambhimani Paksha 1, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1, Jansurajya Shakti Party 1, Krantikari Shetkari Party 1, and Independents 13.

    There is a vacancy due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month. Two NCP members – Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal – have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators – Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik – are currently in jail.

    ALSO READ: Eknath Shinde, rebel Maharashtra MLAs paid Guwahati hotel bills before leaving

  • A day ahead of special Assembly session, rebel Sena MLAs reach Mumbai with CM Shinde

    By Online Desk

    PANAJI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with his faction of MLAs have reached Mumbai from Goa where the rebel Shiv Sena legislators were camping after returning from Assam.

    This comes after Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday expelled Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from the party for indulging in “anti-party activities”.

    “In exercise of powers vested in me as Shiv Sena party president, I remove you from the post of Shiv Sena leader in the party organisation,” Thackeray wrote in a letter addressed to the Maharashtra CM, who had led a faction of rebel Sena MLAs.

    In a virtual address to the public on Friday, Thackeray said that if Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stuck to the original deal of making a Sena leader CM for 2.5 years there would have been no MVA and a BJP leader would have been Chief Minister today.

    “About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would’ve been no Maha Vikas Aghadi,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Eknath Shinde to legally challenge his removal as Shiv Sena leader, says rebel MLA

    Meanwhile, the BJP is preparing to ensure that its Colaba MLA Rahul Narvekar is chosen as Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly in the election to be held on Sunday — and official recognition is granted to the rebel Shiv Sena group led by Shinde ahead of the trust vote to be held a day later. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, meanwhile, has fielded Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi. Eknath Shinde, who took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, will have to prove his majority in the state Assembly on Monday. A special session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on 3 and 4 July.

    Sources close to ANI mentioned that a special session of the Maharashtra Assembly is to be held on July 3 and 4. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked CM Shinde to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

    On June 20, Uddhav Thackeray was surprised when he realised that Eknath Shinde had flown to Surat in BJP-ruled Gujarat along with 11 MLAs. They were put up at the luxury hotel, which had turned into a fortress of sorts with nearly 400 policemen guarding it.

    Amid growing speculation about the rebel camp’s intentions, Shinde broke his silence and said that all the MLAs remained “staunch Shiv Sainiks” and “would never betray the ideals of Balasaheb” (the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray for power. Later, Shinde decided to shift its camp to Goa.

  • Ahead of special Assembly session, rebel Sena MLAs reach Mumbai with CM Shinde

    By Online Desk

    PANAJI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with his faction of MLAs have reached Mumbai from Goa where the rebel Shiv Sena legislators were camping after returning from Assam.

    This comes after Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday expelled Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from the party for indulging in “anti-party activities”.

    “In exercise of powers vested in me as Shiv Sena party president, I remove you from the post of Shiv Sena leader in the party organisation,” Thackeray wrote in a letter addressed to the Maharashtra CM, who had led a faction of rebel Sena MLAs.

    In a virtual address to the public on Friday, Thackeray said that if Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stuck to the original deal of making a Sena leader CM for 2.5 years there would have been no MVA and a BJP leader would have been Chief Minister today.

    “About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would’ve been no Maha Vikas Aghadi,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Eknath Shinde to legally challenge his removal as Shiv Sena leader, says rebel MLA

    Meanwhile, the BJP is preparing to ensure that its Colaba MLA Rahul Narvekar is chosen as Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly in the election to be held on Sunday — and official recognition is granted to the rebel Shiv Sena group led by Shinde ahead of the trust vote to be held a day later. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, meanwhile, has fielded Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi. Eknath Shinde, who took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, will have to prove his majority in the state Assembly on Monday. A special session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on 3 and 4 July.

    Sources close to ANI mentioned that a special session of the Maharashtra Assembly is to be held on July 3 and 4. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked CM Shinde to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

    On June 20, Uddhav Thackeray was surprised when he realised that Eknath Shinde had flown to Surat in BJP-ruled Gujarat along with 11 MLAs. They were put up at the luxury hotel, which had turned into a fortress of sorts with nearly 400 policemen guarding it.

    Amid growing speculation about the rebel camp’s intentions, Shinde broke his silence and said that all the MLAs remained “staunch Shiv Sainiks” and “would never betray the ideals of Balasaheb” (the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray for power. Later, Shinde decided to shift its camp to Goa.

  • BJP made Eknath Shinde Maharashtra CM to wrest Mumbai from Shiv Sena, claims Raut

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that the BJP has made Eknath Shinde the chief minister of Maharashtra to wrest Mumbai from the Shiv Sena of Bal Thackeray.

    Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who stepped down as the chief minister on June 29 following a rebellion by Shinde, removed the latter from the post of ‘Shiv Sena leader’, accusing him of “indulging in anti-party activities”.

    Shinde on Thursday took oath as the chief minister, while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy.

    Talking to reporters here, Raut said, “Uddhav Thackeray made it clear yesterday that Shinde doesn’t belong to Shiv Sena. It is now clear that Shinde has been used to defeat Shiv Sena in Mumbai, where civic polls will be held later this year.”

    Shiv Sena has ruled the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for over two decades.

    Raut further said that the Congress was split several times, but the Congress of Indira Gandhi still survives.

    “Similarly, Shiv Sena is where Thackeray is,” he said.

    The Sena MP said Fadnavis needs to be appreciated for taking up the deputy chief minister’s post as Shinde was a junior minister in his government earlier, and added that discipline is maintained and orders are obeyed in BJP.

    Raut, who appeared before the ED on Friday in connection with a money-laundering probe, said he told the central agency officials that he was ready to respond to any questions asked by them.

    “The ED grilled me for 10 hours. They treated me well. I told them if any more information is required, I would submit. There is no need to fear as I haven’t done anything wrong. Truth is with me,” he said.

    As member of Parliament, it was my duty to appear before the investigating agency if they require any information.

    I have no connection with the case they are investigating, he said.

    The ED had summoned the Rajya Sabha member for questioning in the money laundering probe linked to the re-development of a Mumbai ‘chawl’ (tenement) and related financial transactions involving his wife and friends.

  • Amid Shiv Sena legacy war, Uddhav Thackeray ‘removes’ Eknath Shinde as ‘Sena leader’

    By Online Desk

    Amid the Shiv Sena legacy war between Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and former CM Uddhab Thackeray, the latter on Friday removed the former from the post of Shiv Sena leader in the party organisation.

    In a letter issued by the party, Uddhav Thackeray said Shinde has been indulging in “anti-party activities” and has voluntarily given up his membership. “In exercise of the powers vested in me as the Shivsena Paksha Pramukha, I remove you from the post of Shivsena Leader in the party organisation,” the letter signed by Uddhav Thackeray said.

    Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Thackeray, had recently decided to name his faction “Shiv Sena Balasaheb”.

    Earlier, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said a new government in Maharashtra under Shinde has been formed by the BJP with a group of MLAs that split the party, and asserted that the Sena is where the Thackerays are.

    ALSO READ | Shiv Sena is where Thackerays are; new govt formed by BJP with group that split Sena: Raut

    Taking a dig at Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raut said had the BJP stuck to its word in 2019, it could have had the CM’s post for two-and-a-half years and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) experiment involving his party, the NCP and the Congress would not have taken place.

    What has the BJP achieved, Raut asked after Fadnavis took charge as the deputy chief minister. “We will try to expand our party under Uddhav Thackeray. A group split from the Sena has formed the government with the BJP,” Raut told reporters.

    He was responding to a question whether the new government under Eknath Shinde is a Shiv Sena-BJP government. Raut stressed that Shinde’s move of splitting the Sena will not weaken the party.

  • Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde government to face floor test on July 4

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The day-old Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra will face the floor test on July 4, an official said on Friday.

    BJP MLA Rahul Narvekar filed the nomination on Friday for the post of Assembly Speaker, the official said.

    Election for the post, if needed, will be held on July 3, when the special two-day session of the House begins, he said.

    The position has been vacant since Nana Patole of Congress resigned from the post in February last year.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will table a motion of confidence in the Assembly on July 4, the official, a senior functionary in Vidhan Bhawan, said.

  • Uddhav Thackeray wonders why did BJP refuse to give CM post to Shiv Sena in 2019 

    By Online Desk

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday questioned BJP’s decision to install a “so-called Shiv Sainik” as Maharashtra chief minister when it did not keep its 2019 promise of rotating the CM’s post.

    Addressing a press conference at Shiv Sena Bhavan, Thackeray also asked the BJP not to betray Mumbai like it “betrayed” him.

    ALSO READ | Special two-day session of Maharashtra Assembly from July 3; Eknath Shinde likely to face trust vote

    Claiming that Eknath Shinde is not a Shiv Sena Chief Minister, Thackeray said, “The manner in which the government has been formed amd a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made as Chief Minister, I had said the same to Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years. This could have been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you at that time.”

    “Had they done this earlier, there would’ve been no Maha Vikas Aghadi,” Thackeray added.

    He said he was saddened by new Maharashtra government’s move to relocate metro car shed to Aarey Colony from Kanjurmarg in Mumbai.

    ALSO READ | SC to hear on July 11 plea of Shiv Sena seeking suspension of Eknath Shinde, rebel MLAs from Assembly

    “Don’t project anger for me on Mumbaikars. Don’t change the proposal for the metro shed. Don’t toy with the environment of Mumbai.”

    “Let the metro car shed project be at Kanjurmarg and not in Aarey. Kanjurmarg is not a private plot. I am with the environmentalists and had declared Aarey as reserved forest. Wildlife exists in that forest,” he said.

    Thackeray described the rebellion in his party as a mockery of democracy and waste of people’s vote.

    (With PTI inputs)

  • SC to hear on July 11 plea of Shiv Sena seeking suspension of Eknath Shinde, rebel MLAs from Assembly

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on July 11 the plea of Shiv Sena chief Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension from assembly of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.

    A vacation bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the plea needed urgent hearing due to the pendency of disqualification proceedings against 16 lawmakers including the chief minister.

    The bench agreed to hear the fresh plea on July 11.

    On June 29, the top court refused to stay the direction of the Maharashtra Governor to the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday to prove its majority after which the beleaguered chief minister Uddhav Thackeray quit office.