Shiv Sena ready to walk out of MVA, says Sanjay Raut; asks rebel MLAs to return within 24 hrs
Sena MP Sanjay Raut stated that if the rebel MLAs wish the party to leave the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), they must return to Mumbai within "24 hours."
FollowShiv Sena MP and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut, on Thursday, said that the party is in contact with nearly 22 MLAs who have sided with rebel colleague and Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde. Also, if a floor test is held, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition will win.
The Sena MP then stated that if the dissenting MLAs wanted the party to leave the MVA, which it shares with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), they must return to Mumbai within "24 hours." "We'll talk about it," he added, "but show the courage to come back."
The Sena MP made the comments during a press conference in which the party presented MLAs Nitin Deshmukh and Kailash Patil, who returned to Mumbai from rebel Shinde's camp. While Deshmukh claimed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plot to destabilise the MVA regime, Patil stated that several legislators intend to return to Mumbai.
These developments come after new images and a video from Guwahati's Radisson Blu Hotel in BJP-ruled Assam revealed that 42 rebel MLAs accompany Shinde. There are 34 Sena MLAs and seven Independents among them.
Shinde needs the support of 37 of the Sena's 55 legislators to split the party and prevent action under the anti-defection law. Six more lawmakers defected to the Shinde-led Sena earlier in the day.
On Thursday, Sada Sarvankar, Mangesh Kudalkar, Sanjay Rathod, and Deepak Kesarkar joined the rebel camp.
Raut's claim that the Sena is in contact with 22 MLAs from Shinde's camp is a slight improvement on his earlier claim that the Sena is in contact with 20 rebel leaders.
In his address to the western state on Wednesday, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said he is ready with his resignation letter and will step down even if one MLA says they don't trust him. He insisted, however, that the MLAs come up to him and tell him so.
Later, he moved to the Thackeray family home 'Matoshree' after leaving the official Maharashtra CM residence with his family, including state minister Aaditya Thackeray.
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