Maharashtra crisis: Fadnavis meets Guv, demands floor test of MVA govt; Uddhav reaches out to rebels

As Devendra Fadnavis demanded an immediate floor test of the MVA government in Mumbai, Eknath Shinde called a meeting of rebel MLAs in Guwahati.

A letter in circulation on social media about Maharashtra Governor asking for a Floor test in the Legislative Assembly on 30th June is fake, Maharashtra Raj Bhavan said.

Uddhav Thackeray doesn't have the majority, therefore, BJP has demanded a floor test of the MVA government, said Devendra Fadnavis after meeting Governor.

As Devendra Fadnavis meets Maharashtra Governor in Mumbai, sources said that Eknath Shinde and rebel MLAs are likely to leave for Mumbai from Guwahati on Thursday.

According to sources, the Governor may ask CM Uddhav Thackeray to call a special session of the Maharashtra assembly on June 30 and conduct the floor test.

Eight independent MLAs have sent an email to the registered email address of the Maharashtra Governor demanding an immediate floor test. LoP Devendra Fadnavis will further process the demand in his meeting with the Governor, sources said.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis meets Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Mumbai. He visited Raj Bhavan along with some BJP MLAs.

Cabinet meeting being held in Matoshree under CM Uddhav Thackeray has ended. The CM had earlier appealed to all the rebel MLAs to return to Guwahati.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to the MLAs to return from Guwahati saying "we will together find a way out."

"I have raised the demand in today's cabinet meeting that the name of Aurangabad should be changed to Sambhaji Nagar. The same will be discussed in the cabinet meeting tomorrow as well," Maharashtra minister & Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said.

As per sources, Uddhav Thackeray during the Cabinet meet said, "Governor has only sought for details of decisions and GRs. He has not stopped any file. So continue to work for people and clear their files with full force."

A state cabinet meeting will take place tomorrow as well. Everything is normal in the government: Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai

Maharashtra state cabinet meeting begins in Mumbai

Aditya Thackeray, Subhash Desai, Balasaheb Thorat, Yashomati Thakur, Varsha Gaikwad, Satej Patil, Anil Parab, Aslam Shaikh, Jitendra Ahwad, Amit Deshmukh have reached. Some ministers have corona, so will join online. Speculations are high that after the cabinet meet today, the Chief Minister may take a decision on resignation.

BJP's Devendra Fadnavis meets party chief JP Nadda in Delhi. The former CM is also expected to meet Amit Shah in the evening

I have seen Uddhav ji's tweet. I have emotions attached to this family (Thackeray). Governments will come and go, but these relations will last longer, said NCP leader Supriya Sule.

"Those who're speaking against NCP (from Eknath Shinde faction) were once in NCP. Deepak bhau was in NCP, Uday Samant was in the party's youth wing. What hurts me is that when they left NCP, we didn't say bad words to them, but now they are targetting us," NCP leader Supriya Sule said.

"I am very proud of CM Uddhav Thackeray. Today, in the absence of Balasaheb, he (Uddhav) has made a sensitive appeal to his MLAs... I am not an astrologer, but I feel that if someone from family has left, then the whole family should try to bring them back," Sule said.

We have come to Guwahati, along with Eknath Shinde, out of our own volition. He is carrying forward the Hindutva ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray honestly. We request the public and Shiv Sainiks to not fall for such rumours and misinformation being spread, said Suhas Kande, Shiv Sena MLA.

Sonia Gandhi speaks to Udvav Thackeray on the phone about the political situation in the state.

Uddhav Thackeray writes to rebel MLAs, says, "You are stuck in Guwahati for the past few days. Every day new information is coming out about you, many of you are also in touch. You are still in Shiv Sena at heart. The family members of some of you MLAs have also contacted me and conveyed their sentiments to me. As the head of the Shiv Sena family, I respect your sentiments. Get rid of the confusion, there will be a sure way to it, we will sit together and find a way out of it. Do not fall into the trap of someone's mistake, the respect given by Shiv Sena cannot be found anywhere, if you come forward and speak, the way will be paved. As Shiv Sena party chief and head of the family, I still worry about you. Come in, take a look and enjoy!"

Enforcement Directorate (ED) sends a second summon to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, asking him to appear before them on 1st July in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case. 

Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant said that he arrived in Guwahati as he was fed up with the conspiracy of the allies to weaken the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena's Thane district coordinator Meenakshi Shinde was removed from the party for her anti-party activities on the order of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

10 people attacked a Shiv Sainik. His condition is fine. It is because of such Shiv Sainiks that our party is standing high. The person who got elected on a Shiv Sena ticket & is sitting in Guwahati got our Shiv Sainik attacked through his supporters: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut

50 MLAs with me in Guwahati, they have come of their own accord and for Hindutva: Eknath Shinde. FULL STORY

The BJP is weighing options as Shiv Sena rebels consolidate their position in a bid to topple the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expected to meet the BJP top brass here to finalise the next course of action. Sources said the BJP is expecting Sena rebels, who include 39 MLAs and have been joined by at least 10 independents in a Guwahati hotel, to make the first move by approaching Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Independent MLA Ravi Rana claimed the independents are supporting the BJP and that the next chief minister would be from the BJP-led alliance. 

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday sought more time to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe, an official said. His lawyer submitted a letter at the ED's office here, requesting time for Raut to appear before the probe agency, he said.

Amid the political turmoil in Maharashtra following a rebellion by MLAs of the ruling Shiv Sena, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday arrived in Delhi along with a legal counsel.

Will return to Mumbai soon, says Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde; asks Sena to disclose names of his group MLAs who are reportedly in contact with it. FULL STORY

BJP doesn't need to prove the majority as of now. We are waiting for MVA to declare that they don't have the numbers: Maharashtra BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar

We had clarified yesterday as well that we will hold another core team meeting in the days to come, keeping in mind its necessity - if any. We will deliberate and make a decision. Right now we are in wait-and-watch mode: Sudhir Mungantiwar, BJP leader

Shiv Sena leader and Cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray will address the party workers in Goregaon today evening. Aaditya is the son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. 

Sources said that the BJP and rebel Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde could form the next government in Maharashtra. Sources told India TV that the leaders have already discussed the modalities for the formation of the next government.

BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis left for Delhi from Mumbai today morning. It is believed that he will discuss the modalities of government formation with the BJP leadership. 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar will chair a meeting of party leaders at Mumbai's YB Chavan centre. The meeting will be held just before the Cabinet meeting to be chaired by Sharad Pawar.

Eknath Shinde group to hold a meeting today afternoon for further plan of action. They are expected to take an important decision: Sources

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called a Cabinet meeting today afternoon. The meeting will take place around 2:30 PM. Uddhav will preside over the meeting via a video link. Reports Namrata from Mumbai. The new Ministers who were given additional responsibilities yesterday will attend the meeting.

It's an order for them to rest there (in Guwahati) till July 11. There is no work for them in Maharashtra: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on SC order of allowing Eknath Shinde & other rebel MLAs to file a reply to the disqualification notice issued to them by Dy Speaker by July 11

Senior leaders of Congress and NCP met Chief Minister Thackeray at his Matoshri bungalow, the CM's private residence, on Monday evening and took stock of the political situation. Congress minister Ashok Chavan, NCP cabinet members Dilip Walse Patil and Jayant Patil also met CM Thackeray.

Eknath Shinde termed the relief by the SC to him and other dissident Sena lawmakers as the victory of Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and the ideals of his mentor Anand Dighe. "This is the victory of Hindu hridaysamrat Balasaheb's Hindutva and the ideals of (the late) Dharamaveer Anand Dighe," tweeted Shinde. 

The Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance the rebel MLAs disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly till July 11. The court also sought responses from the state government and others on their pleas questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification. Directing the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government to protect the life, liberty, and property of the 39 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, headed by minister Shinde, and their family members, the top court said the rebels may file replies to the disqualification notices till 5:30 pm on July 12.

The luxury hotel in Guwahati, where dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is camping with other MLAs from Maharashtra, on Monday extended the closure of all bookings for the public till July 5. Till Monday afternoon, the Radisson Blu hotel was not taking any bookings till June 30, as per its website. Later in the evening, if a booking was attempted on any day till July 5, the website prompted, "There is no availability for the dates and rate type you selected. We recommend changing dates or selecting a different rate type when available." Reservations can be made from July 6 onwards, it showed.

Cracking the whip against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday divested nine ministers who have jumped ship of their portfolios. An official statement said in Mumbai that the portfolios of the rebel ministers led by cabinet member Shinde, who are camping in Guwahati, have been handed over to other ministers in the Thackeray-led government for ease of administration. vAfter the action, the Shiv Sena now has four cabinet ministers, including CM Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab and Subhash Desai. Barring Aaditya Thackeray, the rest three are MLCs. Shinde's portfolios - urban development and PWD (Public Undertakings) were given to Sena leader and Industries Minister Subhash Desai. Besides Shinde, the other ministers who have been stripped of their portfilios are Uday Samant, Dada Bhuse, Sanidpan Bhumre, Shamburaj Desai, Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, Omprakash Kadu (who belongs to Prahar Janshakti Party), Abdul Sattar and Gulabrao Patil.

Dubbing Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut a “blue-eyed boy” of the NCP, rebel Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar on Monday said when the Shiv Sena-BJP government formation in Maharashtra was a mere formality in 2019, he became “active” with the blessings of a “strong NCP leader” and that he is set off to finish the saffron party. In an open letter, Kesarkar said those who get elected because of legislators are now abusing them every day, an apparent reference to Sanjay Raut. “We are called pigs, much disturbing abuse is coming our way, so much so that our dead bodies are now awaited,” he said. Kesarkar, the three-term legislator from Sindhdurg in Maharashtra, also asked Thackeray to reconsider his view and ally with the BJP. He claimed the NCP and Congress are enjoying power at the cost of the Shiv Sena and simultaneously making efforts to finish the very foundation of the party. FULL STORY

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut will skip the ED's summons today for questioning in a money laundering probe linked to the re-development of a Mumbai 'chawl' and other related financial transactions involving his wife and friends.

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed that nearly 15 to 20 MLAs, who are with Eknath Shinde at a Guwahati hotel, are in touch with Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. Thackeray further said the rebel MLAs have sold themselves for lakhs and crores. READ FULL STORY

In a letter to Koshyari earlier, Pravin Darekar, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, said, "Some 160 government resolutions were issued by the MVA in the last 48 hours, which look suspicious. I request you to intervene in this matter and put a curb on it." Between June 20 and 23, the departments issued as many as 182 GRs, while on June 17, they passed 107 such orders. These orders can be seen on the government's official website. Technically, these are called government resolutions or GRs, which are essentially an approval order sanctioning release of funds for development-related works. 

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked the state chief secretary to provide complete information of all Government Resolutions (GRs) and circulars issued by the state government from June 22-24, according to a letter by his Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar, a directive coming in the middle of political crisis triggered by a revolt in the Shiv Sena. The direction to provide information comes after the departments --- mostly controlled by ruling allies  NCP and the Congress ---- issued government orders for the release of funds worth hundreds of crores from June 22-24 for various development-related works.