Eye on floor test, leaders huddle, Uddhav reaches ‘Mantralaya’ for cabinet meet

A meeting of Congress leaders was underway in Mumbai to discuss their strategy ahead of the scheduled floor test. BJP leaders are also holding talks at the official residence of Devendra Fadnavis, leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday ahead of the crucial floor test set to be held a day later. Around the same time, the Supreme Court heard petitions of the Shiv Sena against governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's order to Thackeray to prove his majority in the Assembly.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has been asked to prove the majority of his government in the assembly on Thursday. (ANI)

A meeting of Congress leaders was held in Mumbai to discuss their strategy ahead of the scheduled floor test. Party leaders, including Ashok Chavan, Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat, Sunil Kedar, Charan Singh Sapra and Nitin Raut are attending the meeting.

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BJP leaders are also holding talks at the official residence of Devendra Fadnavis, leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

According to reports, Fadnavis spoke to MNS chief Raj Thackeray over the phone and sought help in the floor test scheduled for tomorrow. The MNS leader is said to have agreed to cast the outfit's vote accordingly. The MNS has one MLA in the Assembly.

Regarding the meeting Thackeray is set to hold later in the day, BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar a cabinet meeting of a minority government is utterly wrong. “It's akin to a political sin,” Mungantiwar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, rebel lawmakers, led by Eknath Shinde are set to leave for Goa from Guwahati to take part in the Assembly proceedings on Thursday. According to latest reports, the leaders were set to leave from Guwahati after paying their obeisance at the Kamakhya temple, but a sudden change of plan led to their camping at the luxury hotel in the city for a few more hours, before finally leaving around 5pm.

Shinde has said he is not worried about the floor test as he claimed to have 50 legislators, including Independents, with him. "We will pass the test because in democracy majority is supreme."

BJP MLAs are also set to camp together at Taj President, Cuffe Parade. More than 110 rooms booked from Wednesday afternoon. All MLAs of the saffron camp are likely to reach Mumbai by evening.

The Supreme Court will also hear pleas of jailed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh seeking permission to participate in the floor test.