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A fortnight later, the political crisis in Maharashtra is only deepening further. According to news agency IANS, Shiv Sena has decided to shift all its 56 MLAs to a private sea-facing hotel in suburban Bandra till the state comes out of the present deadlock. Quoting Shiv Sena sources, the agency said the legislators are expected to be lodged at the Hotel Rangsharda near the Bandstand in Bandra West.
Contrary to speculation in some quarters, the legislators would not be herded in a five-star hotel, but a modest and comfortable hotel at a convenient location.
The hotel is barely a couple of kms from Sena President Uddhav Thackeray's residence in Bandra East, around 4 km from Shiv Sena Bhavan, 16 km from Raj Bhavan and 19 km from the Vidhan Bhavan.
When questioned on the move, Sena MP Sanjay Raut denied that any of their legislators would be susceptible to poaching while BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar expressed similar sentiments over his party's elected representatives.
Meanwhile, adopting a firm stance against possible deserters, the Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have unofficially reached an understanding that in case any legislator from their respective parties defects, he/she would be defeated by them unitedly in the next elections.
It is reliably learnt that groups of Shiv Sainiks and activists of the Congress-NCP are keeping 24x7 tabs on the movements, activities and visitors of their respective legislators in a bid to prevent anybody from crossing over to the BJP.
In its editorial mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of poaching its MLAs. Sena said: " Some people are trying to win over new Sena MLAs to with money power. Such complaints are increasing. Sena will not allow a politics devoid of values in the state."
"The people of Maharashtra want the chief minister to be from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and also accused its ally of using "money power" to break the deadlock over government formation," the editorial said.
"The previous govt is trying to form the new government with money power. But no one is helping farmers hence farmers want a Sena CM," it said.
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(With IANS inputs)
