Minister leads Shiv Sena revolt, ruling MVA fights for survival in Maharashtra

Stuck napping, Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray was fighting to save his government, sending aides to Surat to open lines of communication with the rebels. Only 18 of the 55 MLAs in his party were present at a meeting called at Varsha, the CM’s official residence, in the afternoon. The Sena removed Shinde as party leader in the State Assembly, replacing him with Shivadi MLA Ajay Choudhari.

The Shinde revolt, hours after the Legislative Council elections in which the MVA suffered a setback after the MLA’s cross-vote, has cast doubt on the future of the coalition.

In the House of 288, which currently has 287 due to the death of Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month, the MVA needs at least 144 MLAs. Before the revolt, its strength in the House was 152: Sena 55, NCP 53, Congress 44. The BJP’s strength is 106 while Others account for the remaining 29.

Since 37 Sena MLAs did not attend the meeting called by Uddhav, the coalition seemed to be in a precarious position. Under the anti-attrition law, a two-thirds majority will be required to claim as a separate group. If Shinde retains 37 of Sena’s 55 MLA, the way forward for him will be clear.

In the Shinde camp there are three ministers: Shambhuraj Desai (MoS Home); Abdul Sattar (MoS Income); and Sandipan Bhumare (MoS EGS and Horticulture).

The deputy of the Seine, Sanjay Raut, blamed the BJP for the revolt in his party. “The BJP is carrying out Operation Lotus from Gujarat. The members of the Sena have been forcibly held in a hotel. They were also attacked. Equivalent to kidnapping. Many of those who wanted to return were detained by the police. Some conveyed that his life was in danger,” he stated.

The BJP, on the other hand, kept its cards close to its chest, adopting a “wait and see” mantra. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said: “In politics, nothing can be ruled out. But we are not dislodging the government. The Seine is facing a revolt from its own members.” The split in the Seine, he said, reflects the lack of confidence members have in the party’s leadership.

BJP sources said that two senior party leaders, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and the party’s National General Secretary CT Ravi, were tasked with holding talks with Shinde and the rogue MLAs. BJP managers said: “The party would like to see how Thackeray handles the internal crisis. We are in no rush to make any decisions.”

When the Sena went into damage control, Shinde sent a clear message via a Twitter post: “We are the loyal Sainiks of Balasaheb. Balasaheb taught us Hindutva. Our commitment to Balasaheb’s Hindutva and the teachings of Anand Dighe remains unwavering. We have never cheated by power.”

The Sena removed Shinde as their House leader and sent emissaries Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak to Surat to talk with the rebels.

The riot on the Seine had the NCP coalition partners and Congress clearly concerned. Although NCP chief Sharad Pawar said: “It is an internal matter of Shiv Sena”, his party leader Chhagan Bhujbal said: “A storm has hit Maharashtra. Hopefully, it will regress.” State Congress Speaker Nana Patole said: “The BJP has always tried to destabilize the government. But we are strong.”

In Surat, Shinde and the Sena rebels stayed at a hotel. At 2pm, Sanjay Kute, BJP MLA from Jalgaon in Maharashtra was seen arriving at the hotel.

The emissaries from Uddhav, Narvekar and Phatak, had to wait outside the hotel for almost 20 minutes before being allowed to enter. They were at the hotel for nearly two hours, the sources said. Of the hotel’s 170 rooms, 30 rooms on the second floor had been taken over by MLAs, the sources said.

Sena MLA Nitin Deshmukh, who was staying at the hotel as part of the rebel group, fell ill and had to be admitted to the New Civilian Hospital in Surat. Her wife, Pranjali, reported her husband as “missing” at the Civil Lines Police Station in Akola, Maharashtra.

Sena members and Deshmukh’s friends, Dilip Bavche and Mahadev Gavde, came from Akola in the evening, but were told that Deshmukh was no longer in the hospital. Gavde told The Indian Express: “The police intentionally made us wait on the first floor. We were told that Deshmukh is in a meeting with Shinde and the doctors. After an hour and a half, the police told us that Deshmukh had gone to the hotel.”

Layers of security have been placed outside the hotel on the Surat-Dumas road. The police set up barricades 200 meters from the hotel and only guests who had checked in before the MLAs showed up were allowed to enter after the checkpoint. Surat police are also checking vehicles heading to Dumas, a popular beachside destination for city residents.