Uddhav Thackeray left the chief minister's residence for his family home, Matoshree.
Highlights
- Ready to quit CM's post if rebel MLAs ask me to: Uddhav in an emotional message to Maharashtra
- The CM was forced to break his silence after his government was pushed to the brink
- Rebel Eknath Shinde asked Uddhav to leave the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance
Maharashtra political crisis: Emotions ran high on Mumbai roads as the chief minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, left the CM's residence and headed towards his family home, Matoshree. If sources are to be believed, the CM is struggling with numbers in the assembly as an internal coup, led by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, has left CM Thackeray with only a few MLAs in his fold. Senior Shiv Sena leader, Shinde, however, has over 30 MLAs backing him in the move. Shinde is presently stationed in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati.
Day 2: Here are some top developments of the day
Uddhav lobs an emotional bomb
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said he was ready to quit his post if the rebel MLAs tell him that they don’t want him to continue as Maharashtra CM. He was forced to break his silence after his government was pushed to the brink of collapse by rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. He, however, asserted, that he would be happy to see a Shiv Sainik as his successor on the CM’s post. The leader also mentioned that he took up the post despite his inexperience after a suggestion from NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray, amidst Maharashtra political crisis, makes an emotional appeal | TAKE AWAYS
Eknath Shinde writes to Governor, submits signature of 34 MLAs
Shiv Sena Legislature Party resolution carrying signatures of 34 rebel MLAs stating that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde remains as leader of Shiv Sena Legislature Party was sent to Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
In the resolution, the MLAs, who are part of the breakaway faction, said “there is enormous discontent that amongst the cadre of the party viz. Shiv Sena for forming the government with NCP and Indian National Congress who are ideologically opposed to out party”.
The resolution further said "Shiv Sena and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had forged a pre-poll alliance for the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly General Elections. They sought the blessings of the voters for this Sena-BJP alliance which the voters accepted and voted in favour of this alliance." "After the results were out Shiv Sena formed an alliance with opposing parties which they had fought against in 2019 Assembly elections," the resolution added.
Moving out of MVA 'essential': Eknath Shinde
Rebel Eknath Shinde, hours after Uddhav Thackeray's emotional appeal in a virtual public address, has asked the Chief Minister to leave the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance for the survival of the party and Shiv Sainiks. In two back-to-back tweets, Eknath Shinde wrote, "In the last two and a half years, MVA government benefited only the constituent parties... while the alliance parties are getting stronger, the Shiv Sainiks is being systematically embezzled."
"It is essential to get out of the unnatural front for the survival of the party and Shiv Sainiks. Decisions need to be taken now in the interest of Maharashtra," Eknath Shinde said.
Upset with NCP, Congress and not Uddhav: Rebel Sena MLAs
Amid the ongoing political developments in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, one of the Shiv Sena ministers among the dissidents of Eknath Shinde commented on NCP and Congress. He said that the MLAs do not have any complaints against the Sena leadership, but they have been upset with the style of the function of the NCP and Congress, the other two ruling alliance partners in the state.
The Shiv Sena MLAs, who have rebelled against the party, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra into a crisis, arrived in Assam's Guwahati city by a chartered flight on Wednesday.
Congress deputes Kamal Nath as observer amid political developments
In the wake of recent political developments in Maharashtra, the Congress party on Tuesday (June 21) deputed its senior leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer in the state.
"The Congress president has deputed Kamal Nath AICC observer in the wake of recent political developments in the state, with immediate effect," Congress said in an official statement. The decision came soon after reports that some Shiv Sena MLAs along with party leader Eknath Shinde moved to Surat posing threat to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Also Read | Maharashtra political crisis: Eknath Shinde writes to Governor, submits signature of 34 MLAs
Eknath Shinde arrived in Guwahati in the wee hours of Wednesday
Eknath Shinde, with over 30 party MLAs and seven independent MLAs, who were staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat, arrived at Assam's Guwahati on Wednesday (June 22) morning. This comes after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, in a major blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Legislative Council that went to the polls on Monday.After the MLC elections, Shinde along with some other Shiv Sena MLAs was staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat.
Shiv Sena faces 4th rebellion in 56 years, 1st under Uddhav's watch
Despite being a party of committed cadres with unflinching loyalty to the leadership of the day, the Shiv Sena has been vulnerable to rebellions in its ranks and it has seen revolts by prominent figures on four occasions, three of them under the watch of its charismatic founder Bal Thackeray, with Eknath Shinde becoming the latest leader to join the list.
The rebellion by Shinde, a Cabinet minister who has walked away with a bunch of Shiv Sena MLAs, is most significant in the outfit's 56-year-old history as it threatens to bring down the party-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, while the other revolts took place when it was not in power in the state.
The present revolt, which started taking shape post Monday midnight after Legislative Council poll results, throws a big challenge before Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as the three previous revolts took place when his father Bal Thackeray was still around.
Also Read: 'Power will go, it'll come back again...': Sanjay Raut as Shiv Sena struggles to firefight crisis
