Maharashtra Live | 'Govt in Minority, Must Face Floor Test': BJP Tells Governor
Catch all the live updates of the political crisis in Maharashtra here.
Maharashtra Political Crisis Live News Updates
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With all eyes locked on Maharashtra amid the escalating political crisis, a delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 28 June met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan and requested that a floor test be ordered.
The visit came hours after Fadnavis returned from Delhi after meeting the party's central leadership.
Earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had convened a state Cabinet meeting in Mumbai. The CM had appealed to the rebel MLAs to return to Mumbai and talk to him. Uddhav's appeal came hours after rebel leader Eknath Shinde on Tuesday morning said, "We will return to Mumbai soon. We are still in the Shiv Sena."
Further, Shiv Sena's national spokesperson Sanjay Raut, who had been summoned by the ED today amid the turmoil, has been granted more time to make his appearance. Earlier in the day, Raut addressed the media and said that the Shiv Sena was fighting the second war of Independence.
On Monday, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court granted relief to rebel MLAs, extending the time for the petitioners to submit their responses to the disqualification notices till 11 July
The apex court on Monday refused to pass any interim order on the plea that there should not be any floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly till 11 July
Uddhav Thackeray stripped nine rebel cabinet ministers of their portfolios and handed them over to others
Sanjay Raut skipped the fresh ED summons issued to him for 28 June
Raut said that the rebel MLAs who have sold their souls are like "the walking dead"
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'Not Received Any Proposal From Shinde': BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar
BJP has not held any talks with Eknath Shinde, nor has received any proposal, senior Maharashtra BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said.
This comes right after the Maharashtra BJP core committee meeting at Devendra Fadnavis' residence, to discuss the present political situation in the state.
Mungantiwar said, "After SC's order, the state's political situation was assessed and discussed. Eknath Shinde said that his faction is original Shiv Sena – that too was discussed. We discussed what role should we assume in future in current scenario."
He added, "After discussion, it was decided that we'll wait and watch and a core team will come for a meeting once again, depending on the situation in the coming days. BJP will then take a decision in the interest of the people, in the interest of Maharashtra."
'15-20 Rebel MLAs Urged Us to Bring Them Back From Guwahati': Aaditya Thackeray
Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Monday, 27 June, said that around 15-20 rebel MLAs contacted the Uddhav Thackeray camp and requested to be brought back from Guwahati. "Their situation is like prisoners, first in Surat and then in Guwahati," Thackeray added.
‘Rebel MLAs Are Moving Corpses’: Sanjay Raut
Two days after he referred to the rebel MLAs "who sold their souls" as the “walking dead”, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday, 28 June, called them ‘'moving corpses'’. He tweeted out a one-liner which roughly translates to: ‘Stupidity is a kind of death, and stupid people are like moving corpses’.
“Forty bodies will come from Assam, and will be sent straight to the morgue for post-mortem,” Raut had told Sena workers in a speech on Sunday, 26 June.
'Floor Test Likely, Shinde Consulting Lawyers': Sources
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde is reportedly planning to approach Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and apprise him of their decision to withdraw support from the MVA alliance, The Indian Express reported. If this were to happen, a floor test is likely.
Sources also told NDTV that the Shinde faction is consulting lawyers over the Constitutional provisions for holding a floor test.
'Rebel MLAs Can Rest in Assam Till 11 July, No Work For Them Here': Sanjay Raut
Addressing the media, Raut said that it is an order for the rebel MLAs to rest in Guwahati till 11 July.
"There is no work for them in Maharashtra," Raut said, speaking about the SC order allowing Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs to file a reply to the disqualification notice issued to them by the deputy Speaker, by 11 July.
Raut's Lawyers Reaches ED Office, to Seek More Time for Appearance
Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut's lawyer reached Mumbai's ED office in a bid to seek more time for Raut to appear before the agency.
Devendra Fadnavis Leaves for Delhi
BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has reportedly left for Delhi, a day after the Supreme Court issued notice on Shinde's plea against Sena's move to disqualify him and 15 other rebel MLAs.
'Don't Get Involved, Name Will be Tarnished': Raut to Fadnavis
Earlier, in a press conference, Raut urged Devendra Fadnavis to not get involved in the crisis in the MVA administration.
"..today, whatever is happening in the politics, Fadnavis should not get involved in it. It's my personal advice to Fadnavis as a friend. If they do it, then their party, Fadnavis and PM Modi's name will be tarnished,” Raut said.
He added that the Sena was hopeful that a "few rebel MLAs would return."
"There are still a few MLAs whom we (Shiv Sena) do not consider rebels, as they are in touch with us. Their family is also in touch with us and we are hopeful that they would return to us," he claimed.
'Waiting for MVA to Declare They Don't Have Numbers': BJP Leader
"We had clarified yesterday as well that we will hold another core team meeting in the days to come, keeping in mind its necessity, if any. We will deliberate and make a decision. Right now we are in wait-and-watch mode," news agency ANI quoted BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar as saying.
He added, "BJP doesn't need to prove the majority as of now. We are waiting for MVA to declare that they don't have the numbers."
Sanjay Raut Seeks More Time to Appear Before ED
Raut has sought more time to appear before the ED in connection with a money-laundering probe, an official told news agency PTI.
The source said that Raut's lawyer submitted a letter, seeking an extension, to ED officials around noon on Tuesday, 28 June.
ED Grants More Time to Sanjay Raut
The ED has granted more time to Sanjay Raut, who had earlier been asked to appear before the central financial investigation agency on Tuesday.
"We had filed an application seeking some time to report before ED and it has been granted. We had demanded to provide 13-14 days time to present the documents in front of ED," his lawyer was quoted as saying by ANI.
'Will Return to Mumbai Soon': Eknath Shinde
"We will return to Mumbai soon. We are still in the Shiv Sena," rebel leader Eknath Shinde told reporters in Guwahati.
Shinde further said that 50 MLAs were with him in Guwahati and that they had come of their own accord and for Hindutva.
He also asked the Sena to disclose names of his group MLAs who are reportedly in contact with it, as the party has claimed.
No MLA is suppressed here, everyone here is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the MLAs present here are in contact with them, they should reveal the names.
"No MLA is suppressed here, everyone here is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the MLAs present here are in contact with them, they should reveal the names," he was quoted as saying.
ED Now Summons Raut on 1 July
The ED has sent a second summon to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, asking him to appear before them on 1 July in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case.
'Return To Mumbai, Talk to Me': Uddhav to Rebels
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked the rebel MLAs to return to Mumbai and talk to him.
“It is not too late. I appeal to you to return and sit with me and remove the confusion (created by your actions) among Shiv Sainiks and the public,” a statement by Thackeray's aide quoted him as saying.
“If you return and face me, some way could be found. As party president and family head, I still care for you,” he said.
Thackeray's statement comes in the backdrop of rebel goup leader Eknath Shinde daring the party to disclose the names of some of the MLAs camping in Guwahati who were reportedly in touch with the party leadership.
'Have Come to Guwahati as People Trying To Weaken Shiv Sena': Sena's Uday Samant
"I have come to Guwahati because I'm tired of the conspiracies of people who are trying to weaken Shiv Sena for the past few days. Congress-NCP constituents tried to prevent Sambhaji Chhatrapati from getting elected in Rajya Sabha polls," Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Uday Samant was quoted as saying by ANI.
Meanwhile, Sena MLA Suhas Kande asserted that the rebels have come to Guwahati, along with Eknath Shinde, out of their own volition. "
"We request the public and Shiv Sainiks to not fall for such rumours and misinformation being spread," Kande said when asked if he is in contact with anyone except Eknath Shinde.
'Govts Will Come & Go, Relations With Thackerays Will Last': Supriya SuleShe added, "The C
Speaking to media, NCP leader Supriya Sule asserted her support for Uddhav Thackeray and his loyalists in the Shiv Sena.
"Governments will come and go, but these relations will last longer," she said. "Eknath Shinde doesn't have the majority number of 144. He only has 50 from what I have heard, so it can't be said that he has the majority," Sule was quoted as saying by ANI.
Commenting on ED summons to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, she said, "Anyone who is speaking against the government is getting ED notices. Such things are not good for the country and the constitution."
She added that Sena rebel who are speaking against the NCP were once in NCP. Sule said, "Deepak bhau was in NCP, Uday Samant was in the party's youth wing. What hurts me is that when they left NCP, we didn't say bad words to them, but now they are targetting us."
The NCP leader said that she is very proud of Uddhav Thackeray. She said, "Today, in the absence of Balasaheb, he has made a sensitive appeal to his MLAs...I am not an astrologer, but I feel that if someone from family has left, then the whole family should try to bring them back."
Devendra Fadnavis Meets BJP Prez JP Nadda
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has arrived at the residence of party president JP Nadda in Delhi, as per ANI.
Cabinet Meeting Underway
Maharashtra state cabinet meeting begins in Mumbai.
State Cabinet Meet Concludes
Maharashtra state cabinet meeting has now concluded. CM Uddhav Thackeray had joined through video conferencing.
"All Our Support Is Intact': Maha Minister Post Meeting
Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh said after the state Cabinet meeting, "There is no need to talk about it (Maharashtra political crisis). All our support is intact. One support is in the form of physical presence here. The other support is in the form of electronic media or email."
State Cabinet Meeting Tomorrow
Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai said that a state Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow as well, reported ANI. Desai said, "Everything is normal in the government."
Eknath Shinde Takes a Jab at CM, Shiv Sena Leaders
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde took a jab at the Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leaders, and said in a tweet, "On the one hand, his son and spokesperson call the Shiv Sainiks of honourable Balasaheb as pigs, nalyachigana, reda, dogs, jahil and corpses, abuse their fathers, while on the other hand, they want to save these anti-Hindu MVA government, what does it mean?"
BJP Delegation Led by Devendra Fadnavis Meets Governor
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
BJP Demands Floor Test
A delegation led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis has requested the Governor to order a floor test of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the state.
"The BJP has written to the Governor over political crisis in Maharashtra. We have learnt from the media that 39 MLAs of the Shiv Sena are outside the state and are demanding that they do not want to be with the MVA. The government is in minority. We have requested the Governor to order a floor test. We are sure that the Governor will take an appropriate decision and order a floor test," Fadnavis told the media.