As twists and turns continue in Maharashtra amid a political crisis, rebel Maharashtra minister and popular Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde claimed to have garnered the support of over 45 MLAs. In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Shinde said most of them are Shiv Sena MLAs, and the rest are Independent leaders. Shinde, however, denied claims of forming a separate party or joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the upheaval.

The Shiv Sena, which heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, has 55 MLAs, followed by allies Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (53) and the Congress (44) in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. Two NCP MLAs, Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik, are currently lodged in jail in connection with separate money laundering cases. Therefore, Shinde will need the support of as many as 37 MLAs to split the Shiv Sena and avoid the anti-defection law.

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Shinde explained the reason for taking the drastic steps and said he is just following in the footsteps of Balasaheb's Hindutva ideology. "We are Shiv Sainiks, and we will never use it for political gains and we won't also compromise with it. We are taking forward the legacy of Balasaheb's Hindutva," he said. Shinde also evaded the question over claims that he felt ignored or sidelined by the Shiv Sena. "I'm a student...I'm just following Hindutva," he reiterated.

Shinde further denied any plans to form a party of his own. "I'm not forming any party," he said. On reports of him joining hands with the BJP, he said, "There's no such plan. We will inform as and when we decide on this matter." When asked if he will come to Shiv Sena with other MLAs if Uddhav Thackeray insists, he said he had no discussion on this with the Chief Minister.

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Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said he had spoken with Eknath Shinde and exuded confidence that the latter will be back in Shiv Sena soon. However, Shinde denied having any such conversation. When asked if he will come back to Shiv Sena with MLA if Uddhav Thackeray insists, he said, "I have had no discussion with the chief minister or any other leader on the matter."

Eknath Shinde is the Maharashtra Minister of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertaking). Following the outcome of the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls (MLC) on Monday, Shinde and other MLAs were lodged in a hotel in Gujarat's Surat.

Later on Wednesday, they reached Assam. Since then, there have been some major developments in Maharashtra with Uddhav Thackeray offering to resign as the Chief Minister and Sanjay Raut hinting at the dissolution of the state Assembly.

In the MLC polls, the Sena-led MVA, which also comprises the NCP and Congress, lost one out of the six seats it contested. In a major setback to the government, the BJP won all the five seats it contested. It was alleged that a cross-voting happened during the elections.

First Published:Jun 22, 2022 3:21 PM IST