34 MLAs on Wednesday wrote to the Maharashtra Governor backing Eknath Shinde, according to media reports. The leaders have said Eknath Shinde would remain the legislative party leader of the Shiv Sena, a day after party chief Uddhav Thackeray sacked him.
A signed letter from 34 MLAs to the Governor, dispatched late this afternoon, named Shinde as their leader.
Shinde on Wednesday had tweeted that the meeting to be held on Wednesday evening by Maharasthra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is invalid.
The rebel camp as a response to the ultimatum appointed MLA Bharat Gogavale as the chief representative of the Shiv Sena legislature in the state assembly.
“Shiv Sena MLA Shri Bharat Gogavale has been appointed as the Chief Representative of Shiv Sena Legislature. The reason is that the orders issued by Mr. Sunil Prabhu regarding today’s meeting of MLAs are legally invalid,” he tweeted in Eknath Shinde on Wednesday.
The Shiv Sena called all MLAs to a meeting at Varsha, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence, in a letter issued via WhatsApp, email, and SMS. The meeting will likely be presided over by Thackeray through video conference as he has Covid.
The Sena has 55 members in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.
A chartered flight carrying Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs, who have rebelled against the party, reached Assam’s Guwahati city early Wednesday.
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