[ad_1]
New Delhi: Many Congress leaders in Maharashtra want to leave the party, the ruling Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed Thursday, and they “will take a decision soon”.
Shinde Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat said Thursday that 16 to 17 Congress MLAs would soon split the party’s state unit.
“They understand which way politics is moving in the state… Nobody is taking them into consideration. They are asking themselves where they stand. Many MLAs have been wanting to leave the party for some time. Now they have seen a path ahead,” Shirsat said.
Shirsat was referring to the recent split in Congress ally Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) ranks, with a majority of its 53 MLAs in support of switching camps to the ruling BJP-Sena (Shinde) camp.
Shirsat told the news agency ANI that these MLAs would make the jump once they are in a majority. “Just like Ajit dada… they don’t want to be fooled (by taking a decision in a hurry),” he added.
The Congress is the only party in the coalition of the previous government – the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – which has held together its flock of 45 MLAs.
Last year, Eknath Shinde left the parent Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, with his followers – a mutiny that toppled the MVA government and brought Shinde to power with the help of the BJP.
Last week, NCP’s Ajit Pawar rebelled against party founder and his uncle, Sharad Pawar, and took oath in the Sena-BJP cabinet, along with eight other MLAs. He was sworn in as the deputy chief minister – a post Pawar will share with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis.
In parallel shows of strength in Mumbai on Wednesday, Ajit Pawar got a greater show of hands from NCP MLAs than his uncle.
At least 32 of the party’s 53 MLAs turned up at his meeting. He needs more than 36 to avoid the anti-defection law.
Seventeen were at Senior Pawar’s show, making it clear that he had lost support of the majority.
Shirsat also said Thursday that Eknath Shinde would remain the chief minister of Maharashtra, certainly till the next elections.
Incidentally, Ajit Pawar had told supporters a day ago that he wanted to be the chief minister of the state “to implement plans I have for the people’s welfare”.
Eknath Shinde too scoffed at a question whether he would resign, rubbishing it as rumour. “I am doing my job… Ajit dada has been influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and our government’s work. We were all taken into confidence when Ajit Pawar decided to join us. He believes in the state’s development and there will be more work done now,” he added.
After the NCP coup, the Congress has become the largest Opposition party in the state and has staked claim to the post of Leader of Opposition, previously held by Ajit Pawar.
Amid the political unrest in Maharashtra, the state Congress has called a meeting of the party’s core committee to be presided by unit chief Nana Patole.
Sharad Pawar also flew to Delhi in the morning and held a meeting of the party’s national executive members.
Thirteen NCP leaders, including P.C. Chacko, Jitendra Awhad, Fauzia Khan and Vandana Chavan, were at the meeting in the national capital.
