Maharashtra crisis: Now, Aaditya Thackeray is only state cabinet minister from Sena who is MLA

With Maharashtra cabinet minister Uday Samant reaching Guwahati on Sunday to join the Eknath Shinde-led faction, Aaditya Thackeray is now the only cabinet minister from the Shiv Sena quota who is an MLA, while the remaining three from his party are MLCs.

Samant, who headed Higher and Technical Education ministry, became the ninth minister of Shiv Sena to join the Eknath Shinde camp.

The Sena now has four cabinet ministers, including CM Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab, and Subhash Desai.

Barring Aaditya, the rest three are MLCs.

Another cabinet minister and MLA is Krantikari Shetkari Paksh leader Shankarrao Gadakh, an ally of Sena.

In the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by the Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had 10 Cabinet-rank ministers before the rebellion and four Ministers of State (MoS), including two from the Sena quota.

Former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena leader Kishori Pednekar on Sunday said the wives of several rebel MLAs were calling Rashmi Thackeray, the wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, to get their husbands to return to the state. Rebel MLAs led by Thane strongman Eknath Shinde have been camping in Guwahati in Assam after raising the banner of revolt against the chief minister on June 21. Pednekar was reacting to reports that Rashmi Thackeray was phoning the wives of rebel MLAs to get them to return. "Rashmi Thackeray has cordial and family relations with the party's leaders and workers. I am not sure if she is calling the wives to ask their husbands to return, but I know for a fact that wives of many rebel MLAs have spoken to Rashmi vaini (sister) asking that their husbands be brought back. Her relations with everyone is beyond politics," she claimed. 

Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, a group of Shiv Sena workers on Sunday held a protest at Jantar Mantar here in support of party president and the western state's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, its Delhi unit said. The Shiv Sena workers in Delhi, led by the party's city in-charge Mangatram Munde, stand with the party chief and will not backtrack under any circumstances, a statement from the city unit said. Those who are weakening the party are not the ones that follow the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, it added. "He (Munde) said that should Thackeray battle (to end the political turmoil), the Shiv Sainiks in Delhi will stand with him wholeheartedly. He said those who are weakening the Shiv Sena in greed of power should be dealt with sternly," the statement said citing the party's Delhi chief. Meanwhile in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray loyalists took out a two-wheeler rally in Mumbai and held protests in parts of Pune against the dissident leaders.

On May 20, CM Uddhav Thackeray called Eknath Shinde & asked him to become CM, if he wanted to become so, but at that time, he did drama & started weeping. Just a month after, he broke into rebellion. But they (Shinde faction) aren't capable of doing so, this isn't rebellion, this is separatism. They took undue advantage of CM Uddhav Thackeray's ill-health to do all of this: Maharashtra minister & Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray

Mumbai police has no information on when the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs will arrive in the metropolis from Guwahati in Assam, but preparations, including alerting airports, are underway, an official said on Sunday.

A sizable number of MLAs, led by the party's Thane strongman Eknath Shinde, had rebelled against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 21 and had moved first to Surat in neighbouring Gujarat and then to Assam, both BJP-ruled states.

"We have alerted airports and have deployed personnel (bandobast). We have no idea, however, on when these MLAs will arrive here. The MLAs have asked the hotel management there (Guwahati) to extend their stay till June 28," the official said.

Meanwhile, Sena workers loyal to Thackeray held rallies and protests in several parts the state.

They organised a motorcycle rally from the office of party mouthpiece 'Saamana' in Prabhadevi to Dadar, while the effigy of Yavatmal MLA Sanjay Rathod was burnt.

Officials said some Sena workers tried to attack the house of Osmanabad MLA Balaji Kalyankar.

In Nashik, Sena workers held mock funerals of the rebel MLAs in a protest march till Amardham crematorium amid sloganeering in support of Thackeray.

They said the rebels had become legislators due to the hard work on the workers on the ground, but that had not stopped the former from cheating their electorate for the sake of power.

Meanwhile, rallies in support of Shinde were held as well, mostly in Thane and adjoining areas in Palghar and Raigad.

Officials said Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) protection has been given to the homes of 16 rebel MLAs who were sent notices by Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal seeking their explanation on the Sena's application for their disqualification. 

Rebel MLA faction has moved the Supreme Court. An urgent hearing could be called tomorrow. The Vice-President has given only 48 hours, seven days are given to reply to the notice to the party. Along with this, the grounds on which notice of disqualification has been given will also be challenged.

With dissident Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde staying put in Guwahati for the last five days, the party is preparing for a legal battle amid the crisis, a Sena MP said on Sunday. Devdutt Kamat, the legal advisor-cum-counsel for Shiv Sena, said the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly has full powers to adjudicate in the absence of the Speaker- the post is lying vacant. A day earlier, the Maharashtra legislature secretariat had issued 'summons' to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including senior minister Eknath Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification.

The names of the arrested accused are Shiv Sena branch chief Suresh Patil, Nitin Raut, Umesh Pawar, Santosh Kanse and Latesh Patil and Yuva Sena's Bala Bagure.

Eknath Shinde & other MLAs who've gone with him(to Guwahati)have said to form a new alliance but NCP & Congress policy is clear to support the coalition govt that we had formed. MVA govt is there(in Maharashtra) & we want to continue supporting it

The meeting of Eknath Shinde camp is underway in Guwahati. Eknath Shinde has assured everyone that all MLA's families will be given central security. Discussion held on how to reach Mumbai safely, to stake claim for forming govt in next 2 days and also on legal aspects: Sources

A group of Shiv Sena activists on Sunday staged a protest here against the prevailing political crisis in Maharashtra and demanded a high-level probe against the BJP for its alleged role in “horse-trading” to pull down Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government.

The shiv sainiks staged the protest outside party headquarters at Channi on the outskirts of the city and also burnt an effigy of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde who, along with other party MLAs and independents, is currently camping at a hotel in BJP-ruled Assam.

“We cannot imagine Shiv Sena without the Thackeray family and those who have rebelled against the leadership are traitors who are working at the behest of a national party which is desperate to come to power in Maharashtra,” J-K Shiv Sena president Manish Sahni told reporters.

Sahni, who was leading the protest, claimed that the majority of the Shiv Sena MLAs are being held hostage in Guwahati.

“When they come back on the soil of Maharashtra, the reality will be known to the people...influence, money power, blackmailing and misuse of agencies played a big role in trying to destabilise the MVA government,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader and minister Uday Samant left for Guwahati from Surat.

You have gone to have fun in the state where people don't have anything to eat because of heavy floods. Is this Hindutva?? This is what you have learned from Shiv Sena? Now CRPF personnel are being deployed to give security to these people.. from where all this is happening. I challenge once again if you want to fight then resign and fight elections the truth will come out. 

- Reports Rajeev (India TV) 

In a subtle warning to the Shiv Sena rebels currently camping in Guwahati, party leader and cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray has said the road from Mumbai airport to Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here, goes via Worli. Worli, traditionally a Shiv Sena bastion in Mumbai, is the assembly constituency represented by Aaditya Thackeray.

CRPF personnel will be deployed outside the house and office of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs. Central government will provide security to the homes of rebel MLAs and their immediate families. 

- Reports Jai Prakash (India TV)

Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar on Saturday said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray must accept that his faction has "lost majority" while also adding that he should have "respected democracy" after winning the 2019 Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday equated the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra with the "dance of monkeys" and said he is keeping an eye on the "unfolding drama".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray can take action against the rebel ministers. He is likelty to write a letter to the Governor to sack all these 7 ministers.

- Reports JP Singh (India TV)

Sharad Pawar is heading to the national capital today evening amid the political crisis in Maharashtra that has gripped the western state for the last 6 days. The turmoil has put in doubt the survival of the ruling MVA coalition in the state. 

- Reports Rajeev (India TV) 

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday posted a tweet targetting the rebel MLAs of the party, in which he said that however long they may "hide" in Assam's Guwahati, they will ultimately have to come to "chowpatty", a reference to Mumbai.

Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has called a meeting of MLAs camping with him at a hotel in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday to discuss the strategy ahead.

Shiv Sainiks will take out a big bike rally to protest against rebel leader Eknath Shinde from Samana office at 10 am today. 

- Reports Rajeev (India TV)

Shinde camp has said that they would challenge the summons in court as a motion for removal has already been moved by the rebel camp against the Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal. 

- Reports Atul Singh (India TV) 

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a potshot on the Eknath Shinde-led faction of rebel MLAs and asked how long they will hide in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam finally they have to return to Mumbai.

Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde called a meeting of MLAs at 12 PM in Guwahati hotel, to discuss further strategy.