Uddhav Thackeray resigns to fate, steps down from Maharashtra CM's post
The resignation came hours before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was to face floor test proceedings in the state assembly.
FollowMoments after receiving a setback at the Supreme Court, Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of the Maharashtra Chief Minister. The resignation came hours before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was to face floor test proceedings in the state assembly.
In a televised address, Uddhav expressed his gratitude to the people of NCP and Congress who supported him. "Congress leader Ashok Chavan told me that if the rebels want, Congress would get out of the government and extend outside support. Those who were expected to ditch me, stood by me while my own left me," he said.
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Besides resigning from the chief minister's post, Uddhav also stepped down as a Member of the Legislative Council. He will, however, continue to remain president of Shiv Sena. Assuring that Shiv Sena workers would not block those who want to grab power, Uddhav said the people whom Shiv Sena and late party supremo Balasaheb Thackeray brought up were the ones who pulled down this the government.Â
"I don't want to get into the numbers game. It would be shameful for me to see if even one of my own party colleagues stands against me," he said. Referring to the rebel MLAs, he asked: "What were your problems? Instead of going to Surat and Guwahati, you could have come to me directly and expressed your views."
Uddhav's announcement came minutes after the Supreme Court refused to stay Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Uddhav chaired a cabinet meeting during which he lamented that he was betrayed by his own people.
An official who was privy to the meeting said that Thackeray apologised to his cabinet colleagues for hurting anyone unintentionally.
In the same meeting, the state cabinet approved the renaming of Osmanabad city as Dharashiv and Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar. The decision on the emotive issue of renaming the historical central Maharashtra city of Aurangabad came even as the Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling MVA coalition, was facing a rebellion by a majority of its MLAs.
Shiv Sena rebels land in Goa
While the developments were unfolding in the Supreme Court and in Matoshree, the Thackeray family residence, rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde were on a flight to Goa. The MLAs came to know about the developments after they landed at Dabolim airport in Goa at 9.45 PM.
The MLAs then headed towards a five-star hotel at Dona Paula near Panaji in special buses. The hotel has been turned into a high-security zone with vehicles. People entering the hotel premises were being checked thoroughly at the entry gate.Â
A close aide of Shinde had said the group will be staying in a Goa-based hotel and reach Mumbai by 9.30 am on Thursday.
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