'Not worried, have 50 MLAs': Eknath Shinde's latest dare before floor test

Eknath Shinde, before leaving Guwahati, interacted with reporters and said his faction is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena which will take forward his ideology of Hindutva.

Exuding confidence that Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will lose the floor test tomorrow, as ordered by Governor BS Koshyari, rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Wednesday 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."

Eknath Shinde on Wednesday offered prayers at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.(PTI)

"We will also visit Balasaheb's smruti sthal (the makeshift memorial of Sena supremo in Mumbai). This is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena that takes forward his ideology of Hindutva. This is a Shiv Sena that would make Maharashtra progress and make its people prosperous," Shinde said.

Wednesday marks the last day of the rebel MLAs' weeklong stay in Guwahati as they plan to fly to Goa today and from there to Mumbai tomorrow to take part in the floor test. The Supreme Court will hear the plea moved by the Shiv Sena against the governor-ordered floor test at 5pm.

Instead of flying straight to Mumbai, the rebel MLAs plan to fly to Goa first so that there is no restriction on their movement. A SpiceJet flight has been arranged to ferry the MLAs from Guwahati to Goa. Arrangements have already been made for flying the MLAs to Mumbai for the floor test scheduled to begin at 11am.

The MLAs on Wednesday left the five-star hotel in a bus from the Assam State Transport Corporation to the Kamakhya temple. From the temple, they returned to the hotel. Reports said they will start for Goa on Wednesday evening after the Supreme Court makes it clear whether the floor test will be held tomorrow or not. Plans remain fluid so far as everything is depending on the outcome of the Supreme Court hearing, it was said.