Shiv Sena to remove Eknath Shinde as Legislative party leader
Mumbai (Maharashtra), June 21: Shiv Sena has decided to remove Eknath Shinde as its Legislative party leader after Shinde along with some party went incommunicado and have been camping in Surat on Tuesday.
Sewri MLA Ajay Chaudhary will replace Shinde as the new Shiv Sena Legislative Party leader.
This comes a day after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra MLC polls.
According to recent reports, Shinde along with 10 to 13 Shiv Sena MLAs moved to a hotel in Surat in Gujarat. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut confirmed the developments, saying, "Some MLAs of Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde are currently not reachable. Efforts are being made to topple the MVA government but BJP has to remember that Maharashtra is very different from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh."
Shiv Sena heavyweight Shinde has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in the Thane region.
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Amid the concerning developments, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called an urgent meeting of all Shiv Sena MLAs. All MLAs have been strictly asked to attend the meeting, sources added.
After the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP, Shinde was made the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2014. He was eventually named as a cabinet minister in the MVA government.
However, Shinde was reportedly feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government.
Speaking about Shinde being "unreachable", former Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane said, "No comments should be made on such things, else what is the point of being unreachable."
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena won two each while Congress was able to clinch one seat out of the total 10 seats in Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) that went to polls on June 20.
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-PTC News
