13 MLAs from Thackeray group, 20 from NCP in touch with Shinde camp: Maha minister
Uday Samant, Maharashtra’s Minister of Industries, has claimed 13 MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray group and 20 from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra are in touch with the Shiv Sena (Chief Minister Eknath Shinde faction).
Further, Samant said former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had a secret meeting with CM Shinde at Mahabaleshwar.
There is a lot of instability in state politics right now, he said.
SENA MLC DANVE CLAIMS TO WIN 100 SEATS IN 2024 ELECTIONS
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is making efforts to win at least 100 seats in the 2024 Assembly polls in Maharashtra, its leader and MLC Ambadas Danve told PTI on Thursday.
The plan is to scout for winnable candidates and also to concentrate on seats where the party came second in the 2019 Assembly Polls, Danve, who is Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, told PTI
The 2019 Assembly polls were fought by the undivided Shiv Sena in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which got over 100 seats.
The two parties together got more than 150 seats in the 288-member House.
However, the Sena split in June last year after the rebellion by Eknath Shinde, which brought down Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
“We are looking for the right candidate for seats which were with MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde faction. Also, seats where we were second, like 27 seats in Marathwada. We plan to contest such seats with full power,” Danve said.
He claimed the Eknath Shinde government is in a fragile state as the support base of the Sena remains with Uddhav Thackeray.
In an apparent reference to speculation about Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and talk of his closeness to the BJP, the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC, without taking names, said no ruling party (BJP) will try to break other parties if the situation is stable.
“Such is the situation that Eknath Shinde may have to resign as CM,” Danve claimed.
