The test of strength came a day after BJP's Rahul Narwekar was elected Speaker
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday won the test of strength in the State Assembly. In the 288-member House, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence, while 99 voted against it.
The test of strength came a day after BJP's Rahul Narwekar was elected Speaker.
The newly-appointed speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly on Sunday night removed Shiv Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhary as the legislative party leader.
A letter issued by the office of Speaker Rahul Narvekar reinstates Mr Shinde as the Shiv Sena's legislative party leader and also recognises the appointment of Bharat Gogawale from the Shinde camp as the chief whip of the Sena, removing Sunil Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray faction.
Here are the Highlights on the Maharashtra Crisis:
Speaker will decide Maharashtra rebel MLAs' disqualification: BJP's Raosaheb PatilReplying to Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant who sought disqualification of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs for not following the party's order, Union Minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Patil Danve said 'Speaker will decide it.'
Raosaheb Danve Patil said, "It will be decided by the Speaker. If both the parties will go to the court, then the court will take further decision on it."
Rahul Narvekar of the BJP was elected Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Sunday.
Arvind Sawant demanded rebel MLAs' disqualification along with the new Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narvekar. Arvind Sawant had said, "39 of our MLAs did not follow our whip and did not follow the order of the party, so we have demanded their disqualification from the new Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narvekar."
Eknath Shinde breaks down during speech after trust vote win
"Not Surprising To See BJP Winning Speaker's Poll": Shiv SenaThe Shiv Sena on Monday said it was not surprising to see the BJP winning the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker's election as the Sena was broken and "someone from the party" was pitted against it.
Read More Uddhav Thackeray arrives at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai for a meeting
Aaditya Thackeray "Defies" Voting Whip, May Face DisqualificationAaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena MLA, may face disqualification after he "defied" a whip to vote for Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a test of strength today.
Two weeks ago, his father Uddhav Thackeray was Chief Minister, in charge of the Shiv Sena and the man sending notice to disqualify Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs.
Read More "People taunt that it's an ED government. Yes, it's an ED government, of Eknath-Devendra," - Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis employed some wordplay in the assembly today, using Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name and his own, to counter the charge that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was misused to effect the change in government.
Warrant Against Sena's Sanjay Raut In Defamation Case Filed by BJP Leader's WifeA court in Mumbai on Monday issued a bailable warrant against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after he failed to appear before it in connection with a defamation complaint filed by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya's wife Medha Somaiya.
The Sewri metropolitan magistrate's court had last month issued a process (summons) against Mr Raut, asking him to appear before it on July 4.
Read More MLA, Who Wept For Uddhav Thackeray, Switched Sides In Trust VoteA night before Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's test of strength, one more Shiv Sena MLA belonging to team Thackeray joined him, adding to what was already a sure-shot majority. The MLA, Santosh Bangar, had publicly wept in support of Uddhav Thackeray a little over a week ago.
Santosh Bangar, late last night, went to the hotel in Mumbai where the new Chief Minister is staying with MLAs backing him, and officially defected to the rival camp.
Read More A true Shivsainik has been become Chief Minister
Our alliance had received the mandate but we were deliberately taken away from the majority. But with Eknath Shinde, we have once again formed our Govt with Shiv Sena. A true Shivsainik has been made the Chief Minister, says Devendra Fadnavis
Congress MLAs Late, Missing From Maharashtra Assembly Amid Trust VoteTwo prominent Maharashtra Congress MLAs -- Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar -- walked into the state assembly after the Eknath Shinde camp had already proved a comfortable majority.
The two leaders were late while the youngest Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique, another Congress MLA Dheeraj Deshmukh, and Nationalist Congress Party's Sangram Jagtap, who were present yesterday for the speaker vote, did not show up today fuelling speculations.
Read More "When I said 'Mi Punha Yein (I will return)', I was mocked. Now, I have returned and have brought Eknath Shinde with me": Devendra Fadnavis
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the Assembly after trust vote, and praised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's hard work
Eknath Shinde-led government proves majority in the house
Three MLAs abstain from voting
Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi and Rais Shaikh, and AIMIM's Shah Farukh Anwar abstained from voting.
Opposition Booing, "ED" Chants As MLAs Back Eknath Shinde In VoteOpposition MLAs hooted today in the Maharashtra Assembly when Thackeray camp MLAs supported Eknath Shinde in the trust vote against Uddhav Thackeray today.
Read More Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde wins trust vote in Assembly
Maharashtra's four-day-old Eknath Shinde government -- formed with the aid of the BJP after two weeks of deep political crisis -- will have to prove its majority in the assembly today. While Eknath Shinde camp got 164 votes in the test of strength, the opposition camp got 99 votes.
Eknath Shinde camp crosses halfway markThe Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has crossed the halfway mark with over 144 votes.
Eknath Shinde Camp Numbers SoarAnother MLA, Shyamsundar Shinde, joined Eknath Shinde group just before the trust vote, reported ANI
Voting for the test of strength is being held via head count
Team Thackeray MLA Santosh Bangar joined the Eknath Shinde camp minutes before the Maharashtra trust vote. The Shinde camp now has a total of 40 Shivsena MLAs
Uddhav Thackeray camp moves Supreme Court
Uddhav Thackeray camp has moved the Supreme Court after the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker recognised Bharat Gogawale as Chief Whip of Shiv Sena. Supreme Court will hear Thackeray camp's plea on July 11.
Shinde-led faction cannot claim to be original Shiv Sena: Sanjay RautShiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday questioned the legitimacy of the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and said the group cannot claim to be the original Sena.
In a jolt to former CM Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the Eknath Shinde-led government's floor test, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar has reinstated Shinde as the Shiv Sena legislature party leader, removing Ajay Chaudhary.
16 Shiv Sena MLAs to be served notice for suspensionBharat Gogawale, Chief whip of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) has given a petition to the Assembly Speaker for the suspension of 16 MLAs of the party for violation of whip. The 16 MLAs will be issued notice for suspension, confirms the Speaker's office.
Shinde Government In Maharashtra May Collapse In 6 Months: Sharad Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that mid-term polls are likely in Maharashtra as the government led by rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde may fall in the next six months. He made the statement while addressing NCP legislators and other leaders of the party in Mumbai in the evening.
Read MoreNight Before Vote, Eknath Shinde Named Shiv Sena's Legislative Leader
In a major blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction a day before the crucial trust vote of the Eknath Shinde-BJP government, the newly-appointed speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly on Sunday night removed Shiv Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhary as the legislative party leader.
Read More