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Sena, NCP and Cong may shift MLAs out of Maharashtra to avoid poaching
The Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party had been in talks to stake claim to form a government in Maharashtra before they were outwitted by the BJP.
After being checkmated at government formation in Maharashtra, the biggest challenge that the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party face is to keep their flock together until the floor test which has to be before November 30. The three parties are likely to move their MLAs out of the state.
Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP have 56, 54 and 44 MLAs respectively in the newly elected Assembly. Shiv Sena has lodged its members at a suburban hotel, while NCP and Congress are planning to shift their MLAs out of the state by evening.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the party will take every precaution to keep the MLAs safe (form poaching). A senior BJP had claimed earlier in the day that all 54 MLAs of the NCP have decided to support the BJP.
Congress has planned to take its MLAs either to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh or Jaipur in Rajasthan - the two states where the party is in power.
“We have discussed this in our party meeting convened to elect the legislative party leader in the afternoon. There was a suggestion of keeping the MLAs from all three parties together, but Congress objected to the idea. We will shift our MLAs to either Bhopal or Jaipur by evening. But we are sure, there will be no defection from the party,” said a senior Congress leader.
All Congress MLAs were present for the legislative party meeting on Saturday afternoon. “Four of our MLAs joined late, but they have signed the letter authorizing party president Sonia Gandhi to elect legislative party leader,” said the leader.
The Congress leader said that the party has also taken the responsibility of the Shiv Sena MLAs who are expected to be dispatched to Jaipur by evening. However, Sena leaders said that the decision over it has not yet been taken. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, “Nobody can poach our MLAs,” he said. Sena MLAs are currently at a suburban hotel near the international airport.
Ten to 11 NCP MLAs had gone with Ajit Pawar who was sworn in as deputy chief minister on Saturday morning, but five of them have returned to party chief Sharad Pawar. They claimed that they were taken to the Raj Bhawan by deception.
Congress MLAs were lodged at Jaipur and Shiv Sena MLAs at a hotel in Madh in Malad immediately after the results and they complained of attempts of poaching. They returned to their respective constituencies after a few days.
