MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s government faced its biggest existential crisis on Tuesday with Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde revolting along with 30-35 party MLAs and Independents and asking the former to form an new government with BJP in the state. To escape disqualification under the anti-defection law, Shinde needs the support of 37 party MLAs.
Shinde first shepherded his flock to Surat in Gujarat from where the buzz was they would be airlifted to Assam. Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are part of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi. Shinde wants the Sena to go back to its former ally and be part of a new government led by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The erosion put a question mark over Uddhav’s leadership, too, more so because Shinde was known to be close to him.
As things stand, Uddhav loyalists have been reduced to a minority within his party. For, at a meeting he called in Mumbai, only 18 are learnt to have turned up, though Sena’s Sanjay Raut put the figure at 30.
Earlier in the day, Shinde and his supporters checked into the Le Meridian hotel in Surat. BJP is the single largest party with 105 MLAs and support of six Independents. It needs 40 more to reach the half-way mark to return to power (see box). In the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP got support from 123 and in the subsequent MLC polls, its votes ballooned to 134, apparently through cross-voting.
Sources said after Sena’s poor performance in the MLC polls, Uddhav was upset with Shinde for not delivering despite being giving weighty portfolios of urban development and PWD, and a free hand in the government and the party. Shinde has since been stripped of his position as the Sena’s group leader in the Assembly.
BJP sources said Shinde was in touch with its leadership since the last six months. “He supported us in the Rajya Sabha elections and the legislative council polls...We provided logistical support to Shinde upon his revolt. The rooms at Le Meridian were booked by us,” the leader said seeking anonymity.
Uddhav tried to reach out to Shinde by sending sent his personal assistant Milind Narvekar to Surat. During the 30-minute meeting Narvekar had with Shinde, the latter spoke to Uddhav and his spouse Rashmi Thackeray over the phone but he did not promise to return to Sena.
Most of the MLAs with Shinde are from rural areas. “They were never entertained by Uddhav and his coterie. Shinde tapped this space to his advantage. He was also apprehensive about the rise of Aditya Thackeray in the party,” said a person close to Shinde.
