E-Paper
In Assam since a week, Maharashtra rebel Eknath Shinde 'will be in Mumbai soon’
Maharashtra crisis: Eknath Shinde has been camping in Assam with MLAs for nearly a week.
In Assam since a week, Maharashtra rebel Eknath Shinde has said that he would be in Mumbai soon. The announcement by the 58-year-old leader comes a day after the Supreme Court said that the next hearing on the disqualification notices - sent to Shinde and 15 other MLAs - would be taken up on July 11.
On Tuesday afternoon, Shinde stepped out of his Guwahati hotel and made the highly-anticipated announcement of his return to Mumbai. He also asserted that they "are in Shiv Sena". "We are in Shiv Sena... we are taking the Shiv Sena forward. There should not be any doubt about it. We will let you know about our further course of action," he told reporters.
"No MLA is suppressed here, everyone is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the legislators present here are in contact with them... they should reveal the names," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Shinde's coup against Uddhav Thackeray has plunged the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government into the biggest crisis in nearly two years. The numbers seem to be in Shinde's favour; he is said to have around 50 MLAs.
On Monday, in the Supreme Court, he had stressed in his petition that the Uddhav Thackeray government has lost majority in the state assembly.
Hours after the top court hearing, however, Maharashtra minister and Uddhav's son, Aaditya, led the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) charge. He also said that "15-20 MLAs" were willing to return. “Around 15-20 MLAs are in touch with us. They call me and Shiv Sainiks and urged us to bring them back from Guwahati. Their situation is like a prisoner, first in Surat (where the rebels landed after leaving Mumbai last week) and then in Guwahati,” he said.
Shinde's rebellion unfolded last week when he went to Surat in Gujarat. On Wednesday, however, the breakaway faction moved to a hotel in Guwahati.
Shinde's announcement on Tuesday came as former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader, Devendra Fadnavis, reached Delhi.
(With inputs from ANI)
