With a strong presence of its cadre in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena is providing muscle to its new allies, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who have put up their legislators in two hotels in the city.
The three parties have moved the Supreme Court demanding immediate floor test. If the apex court rules in favour of the petitioners, the three parties would have to produce their legislators at a short notice and so they are kept in Mumbai. The parties fear horse-trading by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of a floor test, and so the leaders have beefed up their security.
The Congress has put up its MLAs at JW Marriott in Sahar, while the NCP had lodged its MLAs at Hotel Renaissance in Powai. The Sena, too, has kept their legislators at Hotel Lalit in Andheri East. The Shiv Sena has a strong cadre presence in Mumbai, and it had deployed party workers at Hotel Renaissance and at JW Marriott, along with NCP and Congress workers. “Shiv Sainiks have been entrusted with the responsibility of providing additional security, so nobody tries to poach any MLA. These party workers have been deployed at the hotels,” said a Sena legislator.
The unofficial arrangement was supplemented as Sena’s outfit, Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, runs staff unions in some of the starred hotels in Mumbai, including the three hotels where the legislators are kept. To make identification easier among guests and patrons at the hotel, Sena workers have been made to wear a saffron identification card around their necks. Party workers were seen discreetly screening visitors at Hotel Renaissance and JW Marriot Sahar. “Shiv Sena workers are at the Powai hotel as well. There is no imminent threat, but we have been asked to keep an eye on suspicious movements or any odd-looking person trying to make contact with any MLA,” said a Sena MLA. The legislator was managing the security with party workers and some NCP workers at the hotel.
{{/usCountry}}The unofficial arrangement was supplemented as Sena’s outfit, Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, runs staff unions in some of the starred hotels in Mumbai, including the three hotels where the legislators are kept. To make identification easier among guests and patrons at the hotel, Sena workers have been made to wear a saffron identification card around their necks. Party workers were seen discreetly screening visitors at Hotel Renaissance and JW Marriot Sahar. “Shiv Sena workers are at the Powai hotel as well. There is no imminent threat, but we have been asked to keep an eye on suspicious movements or any odd-looking person trying to make contact with any MLA,” said a Sena MLA. The legislator was managing the security with party workers and some NCP workers at the hotel.
{{/usCountry}}Late in the evening, the NCP moved all 46 legislators to Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz. NCP insiders said it there was a chaos-like situation at Hotel Renaissance. “Also, Hotel Grand Hyatt has a labour union of the Shiv Sena, which will make our job to secure all legislators easier,” said an NCP functionary.
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday dared other parties to poach his MLAs. He advised party MLAs and party workers at Hotel Lalit to not crowd around the premises. Sena MLAs are likely to be shifted to another hotel in the vicinity on Monday morning owing to unavailability of extension on stay. Thackeray and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya spent close to six hours at Hotel Lalit. MLAs have signed needed for the SC hearing and during formation of government.
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