Barely a month after 39 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde had revolted against the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, at least 12 out of 19 Shiv Sena MPs are also set to follow suit on Tuesday. Eknath Shinde is in Delhi to meet with the rebel MPs and review the legal preparations underway for the disqualification plea against him and 15 MLAs from his faction, a day before the Supreme Court takes up the petitions of both factions of the Shiv Sena.
The breakaway faction of Sena parliamentarians are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the national capital today, and declare their support for Shinde, while requesting Birla for a new chief whip and a group leader, reported The Indian Express. The decision to form a separate faction in the Lok Sabha was taken at a virtual meeting held between Shinde and the rebel MPs on Monday, the IE report added.
At the time of the meeting, the 12 rebel MPs were provided with Y-category security, according to reports.
“I will definitely meet MPs. Why only 14, we have 18 members (from Maharashtra) in the Lok Sabha,” Shinde told a group of reporters, when asked about his meeting with the rebel MPs in the national capital. When asked about the batch of petitions against his government and faction in the Supreme Court, Shinde said, “We have unwavering faith and trust in our judiciary. In a democracy, the majority holds significance,” Shinde said.
On Monday, Shinde had announced a fresh executive wing of the party comprising the rebel leaders, while retaining Uddhav Thackeray as the party president. Shinde also announced himself as the chief leader of the party.