The Eknath Shinde camp has also challenged the rejection of the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Narahari Zirwal. The rebels have sought directions to Zirwal to not take any action on the disqualification plea, which was filed by the Shiv Sena last week, till the matter of his removal is decided.
The petition contended that the seat of Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly is vacant since Nana Patole resigned from office in February 2021 and there is no authority who can adjudicate upon the disqualification petition.
Senior advocate Devdutt Kamat who is also the legal advisor for Shiv Sena, meanwhile, asserted that the Deputy Speaker has all the powers to adjudicate in the absence of the Speaker. He said that the concept of 2/3rd majority applies only when there is a merger with another party.
Uday Sawant on Sunday became the ninth Maharashtra minister to join the rebels who have been camping in a Guwahati hotel in BJP-ruled Assam for the last five days. Mr Shinde, at the centre of rebellion against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, has claimed that he has the support of more than 50 MLAs, of whom nearly 40 are from Shiv Sena.
Luxury hotel Radisson Blu Guwahati, where the rebel MLAs are holed up, has stopped taking new booking requests till June 30. Sources say BJP youth wing members have been put on shifts to help them with the logistics throughout the day.
Sena sources claimed that at least 20 MLAs camping with Shinde are in touch with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Some of them are against a merger with the BJP.
Sharad Pawar, the chief strategist of the ruling coalition – Maha Vikas Aghadi, held a closed-door meeting with alliance partners. The leaders of Congress and NCP have time and again reiterated their support for Mr Thackeray.
The tussle between Uddhav Thackeray’s side and the rebels scaled up on Sunday, with Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray launching acerbic attacks on the dissidents. On his part, Eknath Shinde, in an apparent reference to NCP minister Nawab Malik, asked how could Bal Thackeray’s party support the people having a direct connection with Dawood Ibrahim.
Protests by Shiv Sena cadres against their rebel MLAs continued in parts of Maharashtra including Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur even as Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari wrote to the Home Ministry requesting the adequate provision of Central security forces in the state.
Despite being reduced to a minority, the Team Thackeray has also written to the Election Commission against the Shinde faction’s move to call themselves “Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray” and stake claim for the party symbol.
With inputs from NDTV
The post Sena tussle moves from hotel to court as rebels file plea first appeared on IPA Newspack.
