Here are top-10 updates on Maharashtra political crisis:
- The resignation of Thackeray (62) capped a week-long drama of resort politics, where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by minister Eknath Shinde camped in luxury hotels and hopped on chartered jets from Mumbai to Surat and Guwahati, before landing in the cool climes of Goa on Wednesday night.
- Calling himself a 'real' Shiv Sainik, Shinde has been demanding for floor test in Maharashtra as he thinks that the MVA alliance is now a minority. Several Shiv Sena MLAs have moved into Shinde's camp and demanded the resignation of Thackeray.
- The Maha Vikas Aghadi/ Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance is a multi-party alliance between Shiv Sena, Indian National Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Prahar Janshakti Party, other independent MLAs which came into existence in 2019 under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar. The MVA was formed after the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. At present, in the MVA alliance, the Shiv Sena has divided into two groups, one of Thackeray and the other of Eknath Shinde. Therefore, the MVA government in Maharashtra has been facing a political crisis after a revolt from Eknath Shinde's camp.
- After Thackeray quit from CM post, a celebration began at Bharatiya Janata Party's office in the state with State BJP chief Chandrakant Patil was seen treating former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis with sweets.
- As per the reports, Shinde is going to be offered the job of Deputy Chief Minister with the BJP's Fadnavis preparing to stake claim to the government.
- The rebel Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde on Wednesday evening checked into a five-star hotel at Dona Paula near Panaji after arriving in the coastal state from Guwahati where they were camping for the last eight days.
- The Supreme Court refused to stay the direction of the Maharashtra Governor to the 31-month-old MVA government taking a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday to prove its majority.
- In the party position in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly: Shiv Sena 55, NCP 53, Congress 44, BJP 106, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3, Samajwadi Party 2, AIMIM 2, Prahar Janshakti Party 2, MNS 1, CPI (M) 1, PWP 1, Swambhimani Paksha 1, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1, Jansurajya Shakti Party 1, Krantikari Shetkari Party 1, and Independents 13. There is a vacancy due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month.
- Of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 39 rebelled against the MVA government along with 10 independents. Two NCP members - Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal - have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators - Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik - are currently in jail.
- Meanwhile, Thackeray said that he was not going away forever and will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhavan. "I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhavan. I will gather all my people. I am resigning as the CM and as an MLC," he said.
