Sena writes to Guv, asks him not to swear-in ministers till SC verdict

Former industries minister and Shiv Sena general secretary Subhash Desai wrote to Koshyari and said that the question over the legality of Shinde’s appointment as chief minister was pending

Mumbai: In an effort to pre-empt a move by the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis cabinet to expand, the Shiv Sena wrote to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday stating that since a petition seeking the disqualification of 16 legislators was pending before the Supreme Court (SC), he should not allow the swearing-in of any minister till the apex court adjudicates on the issue.

Raj Bhavan had not reacted to the Sena letter till the time of going to press (AFP)

Former industries minister and Shiv Sena general secretary Subhash Desai wrote to Koshyari and said that the question over the legality of Shinde’s appointment as chief minister was pending before the apex court. Shinde, who broke away with 40 Sena MLAs, is one of the 16 MLAs whose disqualification has been sought by the party.

“Having regard to the majesty and the sanctity of proceedings before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, as a Constitutional Authority, you are kindly requested to give due deference to the same and not take any precipitative action,” the letter signed by Desai stated.

“Rewarding persons against whom disqualification proceedings are pending with ministerial berths or remunerative posts would be destructive of the Constitutional scheme,” it added.

Raj Bhavan had not reacted to the Sena letter till the time of going to press.

Last week, Shinde and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Fadnavis, who is the state’s deputy CM, met top party leadership, including prime minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister, to work out a power-sharing deal between the CM-led Sena faction and the BJP. Deepak Kesarkar, an MLA from Shinde’s faction of Sena leaders, said that the expansion will take place after the presidential election on July 18.

In all, the disqualification of 53 MLAs has been sought by both factions of Sena. The Shinde-led faction sought the disqualification of 14 MLAs from Thackeray-led Sena, while the party has sought the disqualification of 39 MLAs who sided with Shinde in his revolt against the party leadership. Both sides have also approached the top court: Shinde-camp filed a petition questioning deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal’s authority to disqualify its MLAs, while Sena whip Sunil Prabhu moved court to disqualify 16 of the rebel leaders. The Sena also challenged the Governor’s invitation to Shinde to form the government with the BJP’s support.