Mumbai: Hours after the Eknath Shinde-led breakaway faction signed a resolution that Eknath Shinde is the leader of Shiv Sena legislature party, party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday offered to resign from the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister provided the rebel MLAs ask him to do so. He said, “a blow by the own is what hurts the most”.
In his address to the citizens of the state, Thackeray said, “I will give my resignation letter if they come before me and ask for it. If any MLA wants me to not continue as the CM, I am ready to take all my belongings from Varsha Bungalow (official residence of the CM) to Matoshri”.
Earlier, 34 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs passed a resolution and elected Eknath Shinde as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature party. The breakaway faction also adopted a resolution to appoint Bharat Gogavale as the chief whip of the party. It may be noted here that Shiv Sena on Tuesday sacked Eknath Shinde from the post of legislature party leader and the chief whip after he brought the Maharashtra government to the verge of collapse.
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The resolution reads, “there is enormous discontent that amongst the cadre of the party viz. Shiv Sena for forming the government with NCP and Indian National Congress who are ideologically opposed to our party”.
Explaining the reason for joining hands with Congress and NCP to form Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Uddhav Thackeray said, “I had no administrative experience..I did what I did with my will and to fulfil the promise given to my father. We had to join hands with Congress, NCP with whom we had fought for 25 years”.
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde tells ANI that he has the support of 46 MLAs including six or seven of those who were elected as Independents. Meanwhile, 34 rebel Sena MLAs have written to the Maharashtra governor and deputy speaker of the Assembly adopting a resolution that Eknath Shinde is the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party.
Right now we have 46 MLAs with us, including 6-7 Independent MLAs. Rest of them are Shiv Sena MLAs. This number will rise in the time to come. As of now we have neither received any proposal from BJP nor are we holding any talks with them: Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde to ANI pic.twitter.com/3kdGKKuyCP
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2022