Maharashtra’s partisan politics landscape is plagued with rebels, party splits and sudden change of governance. Within a span of one year two major parties Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra saw the party get split into two, owing to disagreement with leadership.
While the Pawar versus Pawar battle has caught attention of the masses, an older split in Shiv Sena has sought limelight again when Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Saturday said notices have been issued to 40 MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 14 of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them.
Narwekar had earlier said that he had received a copy of the Shiv Sena’s constitution from the Election Commission of India, and hearing on the disqualification petitions against 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including CM Shinde will start soon.
“Notice seeking replies on disqualification issued to 40 MLA of Eknath Shinde-Shiv Sena faction, 14 of Uddhav Thackeray faction,” Narwekar told news agency PTI.
Following the development, Shiv Sena chief UBT faction, Uddhav Thackeray said, “The Supreme Court’s decision is clear. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly should take decision within that scope and if its decision is taken outside that scope, we will seek justice from the SC.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray started a two-day tour of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region on Sunday to interact with his party workers and boost their morale ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls due next year, a party leader said.
Thackeray’s tour comes a week after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.
The former Maharashtra chief minister reached Nagpur in the morning and he will hold discussions with the party cadre and supporters from Yavatmal, Washim, Amaravati, Akola and Nagpur in the Vidarbha region.
After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Thackeray snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.
He then formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Shiv Sena (then undivided), NCP and Congress.
A revolt led by Shinde resulted in the collapse of the MVA government in June 2022 and a split in the Shiv Sena. Shinde later became the CM with the BJP’s support.
On July 2 this year, NCP’s Ajit Pawar led a split in the Sharad Pawar-led party and joined the Shinde government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the state cabinet.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
Updated: 09 Jul 2023, 02:25 PM IST