Shiv Sena Calls Meeting Of MLAs, Absentees To Be Considered Out From Party

Amid the soaring political temperatures in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena issued a letter to party MLAs warning them to be present at a meeting to be held in the evening or else considered themselves to be out from the party.

The meeting is scheduled at 5 pm in the evening. The ultimatum to party MLAs has been issued after rebel Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Eknath Shinde claimed to have the support of 40 MLAs and back-to-back meetings are being held by the three coalition partners Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena to end the crisis.
Shiv Sena’s Chief Whip, Sunil Prabhu issued a letter to all party MLAs, asking them to be present in an important meeting that will be held today evening.

The letter stated that if someone remains absent, it will be considered that the said MLA has decided to quit the party voluntarily.

The letter also warned that if any MLA remains absent from the meeting without proper reason and prior information, they should keep in mind that action will be initiated to cancel their membership as per constitutional provisions.

This came after 40 MLAs led by Rebel Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Eknath Shinde arrived at a luxury hotel in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam on Wednesday morning.

The revolt in the Shiv Sena has given rise to speculations that Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The MLAs are now staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in the city. “A total of 40 MLAs are present here. We will carry Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva,” said Shinde after arriving in Guwahati.

40 Maharashtra MLAs including 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs exhorted their support to rebel Shiv Sena leader and state Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde by signing a letter, said sources.

These MLAs were received by BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain and BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das at Guwahati airport.

“Right now we have 46 MLAs with us, including 6-7 Independent MLAs. The rest of them are Shiv Sena MLAs. This number will rise in the time to come. As of now we have neither received any proposal from BJP nor are we holding any talks with them,” Shinde told ANI over the phone.

“As far as the current political situation is concerned, I would say that we are Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sainiks and will continue to be Shiv Sainiks. As of now, we are not holding any talks with Shiv Sena or the Chief Minister. We have not decided on the future course of action,” added Shinde.

As the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government appears to be glooming, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Uddhav Thackeray who tested positive for COVID on Wednesday joined the meeting via video conferencing.

State cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh said only the cabinet agenda was discussed in the meeting and not the current political scenario.

“Only cabinet agenda was discussed. No discussion on the present political situation took place at the cabinet meeting. Subhash Desai and Shankar Rao Gadakh were physically present. Chief Minister Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, Anil Parab and several others joined the meeting in virtual mode,” said Aslam Shaikh.

Earlier today, a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held in Mumbai. The meeting was held at the residence of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Balasaheb Thorat. All India Congress Committees (AICC) observer Kamal Nath was also present at the meeting.

Following the meeting, Kamal Nath said, “41 out of 44 MLAs attended the meeting here while 3 are on the way. The politics BJP has started is of money and muscle power. It is against the constitution. I have seen this a lot. Unity will prevail in Shiv Sena under Udhhav Thackeray. I have talked to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and he said that as of now there is no proposal to dissolve the Maharashtra Assembly.”

He also informed that Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray tested COVID positive.

Pertinent to mention, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has tested positive for COVID-19.

He has been admitted to HN Reliance Foundation hospital, Mumbai on Wednesday for treatment purposes.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday hinted at the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly.

“The ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra is heading to the dissolution of Vidhan Sabha,” said Raut in a Twitter post.

Back-to-back meetings of Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are taking place in Mumbai over the rapidly changing political developments in the state.

Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal however, ruled out midterm polls in the state.

“Midterm elections? There have been no talks yet. What can I say?,” Bhujbal said.

Shiv Sena women workers in Aurangabad break down and weep as they protest against rebel leader Eknath Shinde who has led to ongoing instability in the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government in the state.

On the other hand, when Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was asked about the crisis in MVA, he termed the turmoil “an internal matter of the Sena”. Pawar also said he remains fully committed to the three-party government. He also ruled out any tie-up with the opposition BJP.