From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday termed the Maharashtra Governor’s order asking the Uddhav Thackeray-led government to prove majority in the House as “unlawful”, saying that the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs. Raut also took a dig at governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, saying that he acted swiftly after a group of BJP leaders met him. Taking a dig at the governor, Raut said the Raj Bhavan has acted at a “jet speed even faster than Rafale” after BJP leaders met him. The Governor ordered the floor test to Thackeray at 11 AM on Thursday.
SpiceJet flight was en-route to Guwahati to take all rebel Shiv Sena MLAs from Guwahati to Goa Wednesday night. Earlier the SpiceJet flight had taken them from Surat to Guwahati by a special charter flight.
PARTY POSITION:
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has 288 members: Shiv Sena 55 NCP 53 Congress 44 BJP 106 Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3 Samajwadi Party 2 AIMIM 2 Prahar Janshakti Party 2 MNS 1 CPI (M) 1 PWP 1 Swambhimani Paksha 1 Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1 Jansurajya Shakti Party 1 Krantikari Shetkari Party 1 Independents 13. There is one vacancy due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month. Out of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 38 are in Guwahati along with 10 independents. Two NCP members – Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal – have tested COVID-19 positive. It may difficult for them to reach the Assembly for voting. Two other NCP legislators – Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik – are currently in judicial lockup, petitioning SC to let them vote in Thursday’s trial of strength in the Assembly. The SC didn’t permit them to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections and the elections to the state legislative council.
Even as the Supreme Court started hearing at 5 PM on the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi’s petition against the governor’s order for voting in the Assembly on Thursday, the MVA council of ministers led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray were huddled in a meeting to prepare for Thursday trial of strength.
