This Article is From Jul 04, 2022

Opposition Hooting, "ED" Chants As MLAs Back Eknath Shinde In Vote

The opposition MLAs also shouted "ED, ED" when Pratap Sarnaik supported Eknath Shinde during the trust vote.

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Thackeray camp MLAs Santosh Bangar and Shyamsundar Shinde crossed over at the last minute.

Mumbai:

Opposition MLAs hooted in the Maharashtra Assembly when a Thackeray camp MLA supported Eknath Shinde in the trust vote today. Santosh Bangar, who had earlier posted a video on his Twitter account showing him weeping in support of Uddhav Thackeray, today crossed over to Mr Shinde's side. 

Another Thackeray camp MLA, Shyamsundar Shinde, also crossed over at the last minute.

The opposition MLAs also shouted "ED, ED" when Pratap Sarnaik and Yamini Yashwant Jadhav supported Eknath Shinde during the trust vote. Mr Sarnaik faces a money-laundering investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and had last year written to party chief Uddhav Thackeray to team up with the BJP to save its leaders from action by central agencies. He responded by saying he will respond to it "in some time".

Even yesterday, the opposition MLAs had shouted "ED, ED" when Shiv Sena MLA Yamini Yashwant Jadhav, of the Eknath Shinde camp, voted in the Speaker's election. The opposition taunts were made in the wake of Ms Jadhav's husband Yashwant Jadhav, a Shiv Sena leader and former chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's standing committee, coming under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act recently.

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The new Eknath Shinde-led government won the floor test by a 164-99 margin, proving his government's majority and cementing his position as Chief Minister of the state and the leader of the Shiv Sena.

Aaditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, voted against the whip issued by the Shiv Sena chief whip Bharat Gogawale, appointed last night, and may face disqualification proceedings.

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This caps two weeks of political surprises that split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Uddhav Thackeray government.

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