Mumbai: Trouble has mounted for Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as three more MLAs from his state have arrived in Assam’s Guwahati on June 23 to join the rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and other legislators. Shinde had claimed the support of 46 legislators, including some Independents on Wednesday.
According to a media report, Deepak Kesakar, an MLA from Sawantwadi, Mangesh Kudalkar, the lawmaker from Chembur, and Sada Sarvankar, the Dadar MLA, took a morning flight from Mumbai and reached the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, where Shinde and fellow leaders have camped.
Early on Thursday, Eknath Shinde Seemed to have completed the number of MLAs required to avoid the anti-defection law as more Shiv Sena MLAs were seen to be checking in to the Guwahati hotel, Radisson Blu, where the rebels are staying.
The total strength of the Maharashtra Assembly is 287 and the required majority, in the event of a trust vote in the House, is 144. The ruling coalition of Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress has 169 seats. If the MLAs led by Shinde do resign, then the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) strength will fall below the majority mark, leading to a possible collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
The Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs and to invoke the anti-defection law, Uddhav Thackeray will need the support of at least 37 MLAs.
(Vinayak)
