Sena Rebel Eknath Shinde In Assam, Claims 2/3rd MLAs With Him: 10 Points

Guwahati:
Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with other party MLAs arrived in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam early this morning. They were received by BJP leaders Sushanta Borgohain and Pallab Lochan Das

1. Speaking to reporters at the Guwahati airport, Eknath Shinde claimed he has support of 40 Shiv Sena MLAs. “We have not left Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and will not leave it. We will carry forward his legacy,” he said.

2. Before leaving for Assam, Eknath Shinde and other party MLAs had been camping in a Surat hotel in Gujarat – another BJP-ruled state. The move to shift them to Guwahati came shortly after his telephonic conversation with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

3. Uddhav Thackeray had asked Eknath Shinde to reconsider and return to the party. Mr Shinde had demanded that the Sena restore its alliance with the BJP and jointly rule the state, sources said. Reports suggest Shiv Sena MLAs were moved to Guwahati by the BJP to avoid any further confrontation with Sena leaders.

4. Several BJP leaders also met Eknath Shinde at the Surat hotel as speculation is rife that the rebel Shiv Sena leader along with other MLAs might join the BJP.

5. Mr Shinde was sacked as party’s Chief Whip on Tuesday afternoon, he retaliated by dropping Shiv Sena from his Twitter bio.

6. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has claimed the rebellion has been engineered by the BJP to topple the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, however, denied any link to the ongoing developments, but said his party would “definitely consider” a proposal if it comes from the Eknath Sinde.

7.  Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar said the crisis is “an internal matter of the Sena”. Mr Pawar also said he remains fully committed to the three-party government. He also ruled out any tie-up with the opposition BJP.

8. The crisis in Maharashtra unfolded after suspected cross-voting in Monday’s Legislative Council elections in which BJP won five of 10 seats, although its own numbers entitled the party to four seats.

9. The Congress ruled out the possibility of Mr Shinde’s move toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

10. The Shiv Sena, which heads the MVA, has 55 MLAs, followed by allies NCP (53) and the Congress (44) in the 288-assembly where the current simple majority mark is 144.