News Analysis India

Tag: Maharashtra crisis

  • 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.

  • Maharashtra to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, Osmanabad as Dharashiv

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray approved the contentious proposals of renaming Aurangabad and Osmanabad as well as the new upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, here on Wednesday.

    Accordingly, Aurangabad and Osmanabad shall be rechristened as ‘Sambhajinagar’ and ‘Dharashiv’, respectively, in deference to the wishes of many locals and political groups.

    The Navi Mumbai International Airport — currently being constructed by the Adani Group in adjoining Raigad to decongest Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai — shall be renamed after the late ‘Dinkar Balu Patil’, a prominent leader of the coastal Konkan belt, instead of the Shiv Sena founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, as earlier contemplated.

    These major decisions — among several others came at what is billed as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s ‘final cabinet’ meeting, with all ministers of the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance present.

    The renaming of Aurangabad was among the crucial demands of the group of rebels who left Maharashtra late on June 20 putting the MVA government in limbo and now the stage is set for a critical floor test to prove its majority on Thursday.

    Meanwhile, Thackeray thanked all his cabinet colleagues and officials for their cooperation in the past two-and-half-years as all eyes were riveted to the ongoing Supreme Court hearing that could have a bearing on the MVA’s future.

    ALSO WATCH |

  • SC to hear at 5 pm Sena’s plea challenging Governor’s direction to Thackeray to face floor test

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear at 5 pm the plea of Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take floor test in the Assembly on Thursday.

    A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala took note of submissions of senior advocate A M Singhvi that an urgent hearing was needed in view of the decision taken by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asking the MVA government to prove majority at 11 am on Thursday.

    “We will keep at 5 pm. Please make sure that paper books are supplied by 3 pm to parties concerned,” the bench said. Singhvi said the floor test cannot include names which are “stigmatised.”

    Earlier, the apex court on June 27 had kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs before the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly till July 11, and also sought responses from the state government and others on their pleas questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification.

  • Maharashtra crisis: Uddhav Thackeray has lost majority, floor test imperative, says BJP to Governor

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The delegation of BJP leaders that includes Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshayari on Tuesday and requested to ask the Uddhav Thackeray government to go for the floor test because it has lost the majority.

    The BJP delegations including Devendra Fadnavis, Ashish Shelar, Pravin Darekar, et al met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshayari and conveyed him to call the special session and tell Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray that he has lost the majority and floor test should be called. 

    After meeting with Governor, Devendra Fadnavis said, as per the news in media, it seems Shiv Sena’s 39 MLAs are not happy with Maha Vikas Aghadi and they pulled out from this government. He said after this decision of Sena MLA, the Uddhav Thackeray government is in the minority so he should be asked to floor the majority on the floor of the house.

    “We met the Governor and conveyed to him the current political situation of Maharashtra. Now, he has to take the decisions. We also conveyed that as per various supreme court ruling, he can call the special session,” said Fadnavis.

    Sources said that the Governor will seek the legal opinion and take the decisions over conveying special session of the Maharashtra state assembly. 

    Earlier in the day, Devendra Fadnavis was in Delhi and met Union home minister Amit Shah along with senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani and others leaders to discuss the political situation and further strategy to form the government in Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis before meeting to Governor had called senior BJP leaders and discussed various options. Besides, the Eknath Shinde camp also called all Rebelled Sena MLA’s meetings at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati to discuss political developments. Shinde camp discussed whether to leave Mumbai or wait for a few more days till Governor convey the special session.

    Meanwhile, one unsigned letter of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshayari asked Vidhan Bhavan’s secretary to call the special session and ask Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the house on June 30. However, Governor’s office denied such a letter and termed it a fake letter.

    Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday after the cabinet meeting denied stepping down, he said that they will fight the legal battle if BJP brings no-confidence motion against them. 

  • ‘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.

  • Maharashtra crisis: All you need to know about the anti-defection law and the disqualification of rebel MLAs

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The tussle over the disqualification of 38 rebel Shiv Sena legislators has brought the spotlight on the anti-defection and disqualification law besides the role of the Speaker in taking a decision on this issue.

    As the fight between the rebels and the Uddhav Thackeray faction reached the Supreme Court, the Nebam Rebia case was cited by the breakaway group’s advocate to underline the ‘illegality’ of the Deputy Speaker’s action serving them the disqualification notice for defection. The rebels’ advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul argued that the Supreme Court had held in the Nebam Rebia case that it was “constitutionally impermissible for a Speaker to adjudicate on disqualification petitions under the Constitution’s Tenth Schedule while a notice of resolution for his own removal from the Office of the Speaker was pending”.

    Referring to the Speaker’s post being vacant since the resignation of Nana Patole in February 2021, Kaul pointed out that “there was no authority who can adjudicate the disqualification petition” and that it was “not maintainable”.

    Appearing for the Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, ruling Thackeray camp leaders Ajay Chaudhary and Sunil Prabhu, senior advocates Rajeev Dhawan and Abhishek Manu Singhvi took the stand that the notice of resolution for the former’s removal (by the Eknath Shinde group) was sent from an unverified email ID and was therefore suspect.

    Inserted by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985, the Tenth Schedule lays down the rules and procedures for disqualification of a member from the house by the presiding officer. The presiding officer can act against such members on complaints received by any other member of the house. A member attracts the disqualification provision if he voluntarily resigns from the party or when he defies the party’s directives by either voting against the party’s directives or abstains from voting by defying the party whip.

    The definition of ‘voluntary resignation’ was earlier expanded by the Supreme Court. If a member indulges in anti-party activities without resigning from the party, it may be inferred that he has voluntarily given up the membership of the party, the court had said.

    Prior to 1992, the Tenth Schedule barred judicial scrutiny of a Speaker’s decision to disqualify a member for defection or anti-party activities. In the 1992 judgment, the Supreme Court struck down this provision, holding that a presiding officer’s decision was open to judicial scrutiny by the high courts and the apex court.

  • BJP has not held any talks with Eknath Shinde, not received any proposal: Mungantiwar 

    When asked about what transpired at the core committee meeting, Mungantiwar said, “We discussed the Supreme Court's order. We will adopt a wait and watch stand.”

  • Maharashtra crisis: Uddhav strips rebel MLAs of ministries, redistributes portfolios among others

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asserting his position in an uncertain political time stripped nine rebel Shiv Sena ministers of their portfolios, including Eknath Shinde and Dada Bhuse etc. These stripped ministers are stationed in Guwahati who revolted against Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Among the nine ministers who have been stripped of their portfolios, five are cabinet ministers and four are Ministers of State.The note issued by the Maharashtra chief minister’s office said the rebelled Shiv Sena ministers are camped in Guwahati and that is affecting the administrative work. It further stated that people should not suffer and public welfare should not be stalled, and therefore this decision of stripping portfolios was taken. These portfolios are redistributed among the other ministers of the Uddhav Thackeray government.

    As per the decision, the portfolios of the urban development and public works department, which were earlier with the rebel group leader and Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde, have been handed over to another Shiv Sena minister Subhash Desai. Mr Desai also handles the industry ministry and is a very close aid of Uddhav Thackeray. Rebel minister Gulabrao Patil’s water supply and sanitation portfolios have been handed over to Anil Parab who is also the transport minister.

    The portfolios of agriculture and welfare of ex-servicemen, earlier with Dadaji Bhuse, and of employment guarantee and horticulture, held by Sandeepan Bhumare, are now with Shankar Gadakh.

    The higher education and technical education portfolios held by Uday Sawant have been handed over to Aaditya Thackeray.

    Mr Thackeray has also cracked down on Ministers of State. The Three portfolios of Shambhuraj Desai have been distributed among Sanjay Bansode, Satej Patil and Vishwajit Kadam. The Four ministries with Rajendra Patil (Yadravkar) have been distributed among Vishwajeet Kadam, Prajakt Tanpure, Satej Patil and Aditi Tatkare. The Three portfolios with Abdul Sattar are now with Prajakt Tanpure, Satej Patil and Aditi Tatkare. Four charges with Omprakash Kudu were distributed among Aditi Tatkare, Satej Patil, Sanjay Bansode and Dattatray Bharne.

    Last Saturday, seven citizens filed public interest litigation in Bombay High Court, seeking action against the rebel leaders for “omission of duties and moral wrongs committed, leading to disrespect towards the public rights and good governance”. 

    A political observer said that while distributing portfolios, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray does not require the permission of the Maharashtra governor. The chief minister can take this decision, if he wants to sack the ministers from his ministers, then he will have to inform to the governor.

    Earlier, the Maharashtra government had stripped the security of rebelled Shiv Sena MLAs’ relatives and families. Eknath Shinde took to social media and blamed the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and home minister Dilip Walse Patil for removing the security of their family members and warned if something wrong happens, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will be held responsible. However, the Home minister clarified that they have not taken any such decisions. 

    Out of total of 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena, the 38 MLAs of Shiv Sena has rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray and supported Eknath Shinde in this mutiny.  

  • Maharashtra crisis: Pro-Thackeray rallies held in Shinde stronghold Thane-Palghar 

    By PTI

    THANE: A sizable number of Shiv Sena workers on Sunday bucked the trend seen over the past few days in Thane district, a bastion of rebel MLA Eknath Shinde, by taking out rallies in support of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Similar rallies, which were attended by hundreds of men and women workers carrying flags and shouting pro-Thackeray slogans, were also held in Vasai, Virar and some other parts of Palghar, also a stronghold of Shinde.

    ALSO READ: Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde moves SC against disqualification notice 

    In Bhayander, one such meeting was addressed by leader Vinod Ghosalkar, though Thane Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare did not attend it.

    A pro-Shinde rally was taken out under the leadership of MLA Pratap Sarnaik, while in Thane city, those backing the rebellion burnt effigies of Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who has been vocally and continuously attacked Shinde.

    In Ambernath, posters were put up in several places berating MLA Balaji Kinnikar.