The Shiv Sena, plunged into a political crisis by the rebellion of its MLAs, have filed a disqualification application against twelve of the MLAs, before the deputy speaker, said sources.
Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has called an emergency meeting amid a political crisis. The Shiv Sena today said it will consider quitting alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP if the rebels come back in "24 hours". The huge climbdown comes even as visuals showed 42 MLAs posing with Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde at a hotel in Guwahati.
The videos from Guwahati showed the MLAs gathered in a hall for a photo-shoot meant more as a preview of a test of strength that may come up in Maharashtra's power tussle.
The Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP -- the alliance partners of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra -- have suggested that rebel Eknath Shinde be named as Chief Minister as a way out of the huge political crisis that has engulfed the ruling coalition, sources said. Shiv Sena rebels have written to the Governor declaring Eknath Shinde as their leader.
The BJP has called the political crisis in Maharashtra as the Shiv Sena's internal matter and that the party is not staking claim to form a government in the state. "We haven't spoken to Eknath Shinde. This is Shiv Sena's internal matter. BJP has nothing to do with this. We're not staking claim to form the government," Union Minister Raosaheb Patil Danve, who met party leader Devendra Fadnavis, told the media.