News Analysis India

Tag: Eknath Shinde

  • ‘Fadnavis, Shinde will decide further actions’: State BJP chief amid celebrations in saffron camp

    By Online Desk

    MUMBAI: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde will now decide the next court of action, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said on Wednesday night.

    CM Uddhav Thackeray resigned earlier in the evening, a day before a scheduled floor test in the state Assembly.

    The state BJP unit has asked all its MLAs to gather in Mumbai. To a question about the BJP’s next move, as it is the single largest party in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, Patil said, “The next steps will be decided by Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde.”

    He also said BJP workers “should observe restraint in victory.”

    ALSO READ | ‘Not going away forever, will again sit in Sena Bhavan’: Uddhav’s parting note as CM

    Fadnavis told reporters that “I will tell the party’s stand tomorrow for sure.”

    There will be another round of meeting at the official residence of Fadnavis later tonight, sources said.

    Meanwhile, several BJP legislators and senior leaders gathered at the residence of Fadnavis in Mumbai and congratulated each other over the collapse of the MVA government following the resignation of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Many of them said that Fadnavis will soon helm the state.

    Former minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “the truth prevailed, finally”.

    “Fadnavis always used to say that he will return to the House. Now, it’s time. He will come back as the chief minister of Maharashtra,” BJP MLA Nitesh Rane said.

    State party president Chandrakant Patil fed sweets to Fadnavis. Senior BJP leaders Sudhir Mungantiwar and Girish Mahajan were also present.

  • ‘Not going away forever, will again sit in Sena Bhavan’: Uddhav’s parting note as CM

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who announced his resignation on Wednesday minutes after Supreme Court gave go ahead to floor test in the state assembly, said that he was not going away forever and will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhavan.

    Thackeray, whose party’s internal revolt brought down the three-year-old MVA government, said he came to power in “an unexpected manner” and was “going out in a similar fashion”.

    Thackeray also announced his resignation as MLC. “I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhavan. I will gather all my people. I am resigning as the CM and as an MLC,” he said.

    ALSO READ | We have majority, confident of victory: Eknath Shinde

    Uddhav Thackeray became Chief Minister after Shiv Sena joined hands with Nationalist Congress Party and Congress to form the government in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena leadership had differences with its pre-poll ally BJP and wanted the post of Chief Minister.

    The MVA government in Maharashtra has been facing a political crisis after a revolt in Shiv Sena. The rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde had been camping in Guwahati.

    Uddhav Thackeray also expressed gratitude to NCP and Congress, allies in the coalition government. “I want to express my gratitude to the people of NCP and Congress that they supported me. From Shiv Sena, Anil Parab, Subhash Desai and Aaditya Thackeray, these people were only present when the proposal was passed while NCP and Congress people also supported the proposal,” he said.

    He also referred to Maharashtra cabinet decisions taken earlier day. “I am satisfied that we have officially renamed Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv – the cities named by Balasaheb Thackeray,” he said.

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave its go ahead for floor test in Maharashtra Assembly tomorrow as it refused to stay the state Governor’s decision which was challenged by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu.

    ALSO READ | Taking Balasaheb’s Hindutva, Shiv Sena forward: Shinde

    “We are not staying tomorrow’s floor test,” the Supreme Court bench said.The court also issued notice on Shiv Sena Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu’s plea and said that tomorrow’s floor test will be subject to the outcome of the present petition. The court will hear his plea on July 11.

    A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala had earlier in the day reserved the decision on the plea filed by Sunil Prabhu challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s direction to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to hold the floor test on June 30 (Thursday).

    Supreme Court also allowed jailed NCP leaders Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh to participate in the proceedings of the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly tomorrow.

    Since Malik and Deshmukh are in judicial custody of the Enforcement Directorate and CBI, both the agencies were directed to escort them to the Assembly to participate in floor test and bring them back to the judicial custody.

    Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had asked the Uddhav Thackeray government in the state to prove a majority on the floor of the House on June 30 stating that the “present political scenario” unfolding in the state paints a “very disturbing picture.”

    The Governor wrote to the state Assembly secretary to convene a special session of the State Assembly tomorrow with the only agenda of a trust vote against CM Thackeray.

    BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had met the Governor on Tuesday evening after returning from Delhi, and submitted a letter to him demanding an immediate floor test.

  • Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs land in Goa for overnight stay

    By Agencies

    PANAJI: The Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde reached the Dabolim airport from Guwahati on Wednesday night, from where they were headed towards the Taj Hotel in Panaji for night stay.

    Tight security was provided to them while travelling in coaches from the Dabolim airport to the Taj Resort and Convention Centre in Panaji.

    As the Supreme Court gave a go ahead with the floor test on Thursday, the rebel MLAs are expected to leave for Mumbai early on Thursday morning.

    ALSO READ | Uddhav Thackeray steps down as Maharashtra CM after SC refuses to stay floor test

    Meanwhile, while the rebel group was travelling from Guwahati to Goa, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tendered his resignation from the top post in a virtual conversation with the people of Maharashtra.

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday held a marathon hearing on a plea filed by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test and prove its majority in the House on Thursday.

    Police sources informed that the security at the Dabolim airport and the Taj Resort in Panaji will not be withdrawn till the rebel MLAs proceed to Mumbai on Thursday morning.

  • Uddhav Thackeray steps down as Maharashtra CM after SC refuses to stay floor test

    By Online Desk

    Minutes after Supreme Court gave its go ahead to floor test in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that he is resigning from his post.

    “I am resigning as the Chief Minister,” Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced. He also announced his resignation as MLC too.

    Uddhav Thackeray also expressed gratitude to NCP and Congress, allies in the coalition government. “I want to express my gratitude to the people of NCP and Congress that they supported me. From Shiv Sena, Anil Parab, Subhash Desai and Aaditya Thackeray, these people were only present when the proposal was passed while NCP and Congress people also supported the proposal,” he said.

    ALSO READ | We have majority, confident of victory: Eknath Shinde

    He also expressed to Maharashtra cabinet decisions taken earlier day. “I am satisfied that we have officially renamed Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv — the cities named by Balasaheb Thackeray,” he said.

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave its go ahead for floor test in Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday as it refused to stay the state Governor’s decision which was challenged by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu. “We are not staying tomorrow’s floor test,” the Supreme Court bench said.

    The court also issued notice on Shiv Sena Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu’s plea and said that tomorrow’s floor test will be subject to the outcome of the present petition. The court will hear his plea on July 11.

    A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala had earlier in the day reserved the decision on the plea filed by Sunil Prabhu challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s direction to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to hold the floor test on June 30 (Thursday).

    ALSO READ | Taking Balasaheb’s Hindutva, Shiv Sena forward: Shinde

    Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had asked the Uddhav Thackeray government in the state to prove a majority on the floor of the House on June 30 stating that the “present political scenario” unfolding in the state paints a “very disturbing picture.”

    The Governor wrote to the state Assembly secretary to convene a special session of the State Assembly tomorrow with the only agenda of a trust vote against CM Thackeray.

    BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had met the Governor on Tuesday evening after returning from Delhi, and submitted a letter to him demanding an immediate floor test.

    (With agency inputs)

  • We have majority, confident of victory: Eknath Shinde

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena leader leading the party’s rebel MLAs, on Wednesday said numbers matter in a democracy and he has them.

    Prior to leaving Guwahati, he said he has 49 MLAs with him. “In a democracy, majority is important. We have majority. The public is with us,” he told journalists at the Kamakhya temple.

    Assam minister Pijush Hazarika, who was also seen at the temple premises, said the MLAs wanted to visit the temple and he was there to “assist” them as a representative of Assam government.

    Shinde said the country has a constitution, rules and laws and nobody can bypass them.

    “Victory is ours. We are fully confident of it. All the MLAs offered their prayers here. Was anyone forcibly brought? They came on their own accord,” the Shiv Sena leader said.

    He said he and the fellow MLAs would reach Mumbai on Thursday.

    “We will take part in the Assembly proceedings tomorrow. We know the proceedings,” Shinde said.

    ALSO READ | Order to conduct floor test in supersonic speed amounts to putting cart before horse: Shiv Sena to SC

    Later, he told journalists at the Guwahati airport he and the MLAs with him would hold a meeting on Thursday after the floor test and devise the next strategy.

    He said they were not rebels but Shiv Sainiks.

    “We are the Shiv Sena. We are taking forward the agenda and ideology of Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena. One is Hindutva ideology and the other is development agenda. We will work for the state’s development,” Shinde said.

    The MLAs left in a chartered plane of the SpiceJet after 6pm. They were expected to fly to Goa but airport sources said the destination was shown as Mumbai. It was a non-scheduled flight.

    Five buses carried the MLAs to the airport from the five-star Radisson Blu hotel. They had checked in here in the morning of June 22 after arrival from Surat.

    Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the MLAs individually settled their hotel bills.

  • Order to conduct floor test in supersonic speed amounts to putting cart before horse: Shiv Sena to SC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu Wednesday challenged in the Supreme Court the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday, saying the order to conduct a floor test in a “supersonic speed” amounts to putting the cart before the horse.

    Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Prabhu, told a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala that two MLAs of the NCP are down with Covid-19 while two MLAs of the Congress are abroad and they are asked to participate in the floor test on Thursday.

    Singhvi argued that allowing floor tests would mean making Tenth Schedule a “dead letter”. The bench observed that the Tenth schedule is one of the robust provisions and the court should strengthen it.

    The hearing in the matter is underway.

    Earlier in the day, the bench had taken note of submissions of Singhvi that an urgent hearing was needed in view of the decision taken by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asking the MVA government to prove the majority at 11 am on Thursday.

    The bench had agreed to hear the matter at 5 pm today. The petition has contended that the Governor vide communication dated June 28, 2022 (which was received today i.e., on June 29 at about 9:00 am) has decided to hold a floor test in complete defiance of the fact that this court is seized of the issue of the disqualification proceedings.

    “Such undue haste is manifestly arbitrary and therefore violative of Article 14,” said the plea and sought directions seeking setting aside of the impugned communication sent by the Governor to the Chief Minister as well as to the secretary of the Assembly.

    Koshyari has asked the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary to hold a floor test of the MVA government at 11 am on Thursday.

    The Governor’s letter comes amid the rebellion in the ruling Shiv Sena by senior minister Eknath Shinde, who has been camping in Guwahati since last week with the majority of party legislators and several independent MLAs, which has pushed the government led by Thackeray, who is also the Sena president, into a crisis.

  • Will BJP seize the oppurtunity? Fadnavis meets Nadda to discuss Maharashtra crisis

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met BJP president J P Nadda here on Tuesday amid the spiralling political crisis in the state threatening the three-party Maha Vikas Adhadi government’s existence.

    Fadnavis is believed to have briefed Nadda about the unfolding political developments in the western state.

    He arrived in the national capital earlier to discuss the issue with the party’s top brass, with 39 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and at least 10 independent legislators from the state lodged in a five-star hotel in Assam and working on overdrive to bring down the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

    The BJP has denied any role in the rebellion but Fadnavis is being seen to be playing a key role in working out a post-MVA dispensation which he may head with support from the Sena rebels.

    Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday suggested that the saffron party is waiting for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to declare that they don’t have the numbers.

    He reiterated that the BJP is in a wait-and-watch mode and that it does not need to prove a majority on the floor of the House as of now.

    The political crisis triggered by Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde’s rebellion with a majority of MLAs of his party entered the next phase with the Supreme Court on Monday keeping in abeyance the disqualification proceedings of 16 rebels before the Deputy Speaker till July 11 and also refusing to pass any interim order on the state government’s plea that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly.

    Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport, Mungantiwar said, “We have decided to wait and watch. Considering the present situation, a core team will be formed in the coming days, which will deliberate on the subject and then a decision will be taken.”

    The former finance minister further said that the BJP does not need to prove the majority as of now.

    “The party is now waiting to see when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will declare that it is in minority (that they lacked numbers in House)”.

    Asked if BJP MLAs from the Vidarbha region will be herded to Mumbai after holding a meeting of legislators in Nagpur, Mungantiwar maintained that he had not come to take the MLAs to Mumbai, and it was an organisational meeting to discuss ways to take welfare schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to people.

    Talking about the Maharashtra crisis, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday said his party was watching the turmoil in the ruling Shiv Sena from a distance.

    The main constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the neighbouring state plunged into disarray on June 21 after senior leader Eknath Shinde rebelled against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and was now in Guwahati with a sizable number of dissidents.

    “We have no role in the current turmoil in Maharashtra. This (rebellion) is internal strife of the Shiv Sena. We are just standing at a distance and watching it,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.

    Speaking about reports of Sainiks loyal to Thackeray attacking offices of rebel MLAs, he said efforts were being made to create a “West Bengal like situation” in Maharashtra by spreading fear and terror.

    Vijayvargiya, who was one of the key strategists for the BJP for the WB polls, added that people of Maharashtra would not want the state to fall prey to anarchy.

  • Shiv Sena crisis: PIL seeks FIR against Thackerays, Sanjay Raut; Thane leaders supporting Eknath Shinde removed from party

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, minister Aaditya Thackeray and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for sedition and breach of public peace was filed in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday amid a standoff between the MVA government and the rebel Sena MLAs.

    The petition, filed by Pune-based social worker Hemant Patil, requested the HC to restrain the trio from making any further statements against Eknath Shinde, who is leading the dissident MLAs.

    The petition claimed that pursuant to the rebellion by several MLAs of Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, protests have been held at various districts in Maharashtra and verbal attacks have been made against them.

    “The Shiv Sena MLAs, who are rebelling, are camped in Assam because of the threats given by respondents 5 to 7 (Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut). Respondent No.7 (Raut) has given a threat to all of the 40 MLAs stating that their bodies will come from Assam and will be sent directly to the morgue for postmortem. In this way all of them are creating the situation of riot and violence in the State of Maharashtra,” it said.

    The PIL will come up for hearing in due course of time.

    On the other hand, former Thane mayor and Shiv Sena coordinator in the district Meenakshi Shinde has been expelled from the party amid a rebellion by Eknath Shinde.

    She was being expelled for anti-party activities on the directions of party president (and chief minister) Uddhav Thackeray, a Sena statement issued here on Tuesday said.

    Earlier, another former Thane mayor, Naresh Mhaske, and coordinator Rahul Londe were expelled from the party.

    All these leaders have been actively taking part in rallies and gatherings in support of Eknath Shinde.

    In another development, the photographs of Eknath Shinde and his Lok Sabha MP son Shrikant Shinde have been removed from the Sena office in Dombivali, and others are expected to follow suit.

  • ‘Will soon go to Mumbai’, says rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde, outside Guwahati hotel

    By Online Desk

    Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde, who is camping in a Guwahati hotel along with his MLAs, said, “We are all going to Mumbai.” There are speculations that Shinde will meet the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to press for the trust vote in the Assembly.

    Shinde, on Tuesday, claimed that he has support of 50 MLAs and challenged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to reveal the number of MLAs who are siding with him. “We are in Shiv Sena, we are taking the party forward. There should not be any doubt about it,” he further said. “We will give let you know about our further course of action.”

    “No MLA is suppressed here, everyone here is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the MLAs present here are in contact with them, they should reveal the names,” he added.

    This is a breaking story. Details will be added soon.

  • ‘MLAs were misled; We will rebuild the party’

    Express News Service

    Priyanka Chaturvedi is Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member and the party’s national spokesperson. She alleges many Sena MLAs are being “scanned” by various investigating agencies. She claims the party had done everything to address the concerns of Eknath Sinde. She sees only a slim chance of a patch-up now, although CM Uddhav Thackeray will take the final call. Excerpts from an interview with Sudhir Suryawanshi:

    Why such a big migration from Shiv Sena?If you look at the list of the Shiv Sena’s rebel MLAs — Eknath Shinde, Yamini Jadhav, Pratap Sarnaik and others — it would be clear that most of them are under the scanner of Central investigating agencies. They have been told to either join the rebel group or be ready to go to jail. Given the option of surrender or survival, they have preferred the latter. Some MLAs were misled and taken to Thane and Guwahati. They did not understand the legal issues and put their career at stake.

    There are allegations that Uddhav was inaccessible to MLAs…When the Maha Vikas Aghadi shaped up, everyone understood that in the three-party government, there would be issues. We even chalked out the minimum agenda to avoid any conflict. Then the pandemic struck. The state government worked hard and earned admiration. After the pandemic, the CM went for a spinal surgery. It was our job to support him. Eknarth Shinde was given the urban development department that is generally kept with the CM.

    Any chance of a patch up?That call will be taken by Uddhav Thackeray. However, I don’t see any patch-up with Eknath Shinde because he has misled our MLAs. There are some genuine MLAs trapped in Guwahati. They want to return. We are getting phone calls. At least three rebels are in touch with the party leadership.

    Do you believe BJP is behind this?Without BJP’s support, no one will dare to leave Shiv Sena. The BJP has orchestrated this by facilitating resources. In Surat, BJP leaders were seen with Sena MLAs. The hotel arrangements in Surat were made by BJP. They (BJP) arranged a private jet to take the MLAs to Guwahati, and the Assam CM met them. 

    What is the way out now?Shiv Sena has faced such revolts. Our grassroots cadre is with us. They are charged up, as they feel cheated. Last time, despite a big revolt, we came into power twice. As Uddhav Thackeray says, we have to rebuild the party.