3 parties wary of poaching on Maha territory

The biggest challenge before the three parties – Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – is to keep its flock together until the floor test of

The biggest challenge before the three parties – Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – is to keep its flock together until the floor test of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the next few days. The parties are now planning to move their MLAs out of the state to avoid their poaching.

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Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have 56, 54 and 44 MLAs, respectively in the newly-elected Assembly. Shiv Sena has kept its members at a suburban hotel and is expected to shift them to Jaipur. Congress plans to shift their MLAs out of the state by evening and is likely to shift them to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, a state ruled by the party. NCP, which had so far avoided shifting its MLAs, is now likely to send them out of the state, as BJP has again formed the government.

In his media briefing on Saturday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the party will take every precaution to keep the MLAs safe from poaching by BJP.

Congress had two options – Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh or Jaipur in Rajasthan, the states where the party is in power. Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh has reportedly been given the responsibility of their safety and arrangement.

“We discussed it 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 our party leaders objected to it. We will shift our MLAs by evening. We are sure there will be no defection from the party,” said a senior Congress letter.

All MLAs of the party were present for the legislative party meeting held on Saturday afternoon. “Our four MLAs joined late, but they have signed the letter of giving all rights to the party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi to elect the legislative party leader,” said the leader.

The Congress leader said the party has also taken the responsibility of the Shiv Sena MLAs who are expected to be dispatched to Jaipur by evening. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, “Nobody can poach our MLAs,” he said. The legislators could be moved to Jaipur by Saturday night.

“In light of the developments, the party could move the MLAs out of Mumbai. However, a final call would be take later by the party leadership,” a Shiv Sena functionary said, requesting anonymity.

The legislators could be taken to Jaipur, as the party had earlier planning to keep the MLAs in Rajasthan.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray met Sena legislators at Hotel Lalit in Andheri East on Saturday evening and expressed confidence that they will prevail in this battle. A senior party MLA said Thackeray asked the legislators to remain positive and assured that they would form the government with the two other parties.

The MLA said, “There is no fear of any Shiv Sena MLA getting defected. We are firm on our decision. If someone wanted to jump the ship, there was an opportunity earlier too. Now, with the NCP MLAs returning to their party, the ones who could have been on the fence about defecting will not go.”

Congress MLAs were lodged at Jaipur and Shiv Sena MLAs at a hotel in Madh in Malad immediately after the results. They returned to their respective constituencies after a few days.