Is it an endgame for Uddhav Thackeray government?
With Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari directing the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress to take a floor test to prove majority in the House on June 30, Maharashtra’s political crisis has further complicated. Is it the beginning of endgame for Uddhav government or there is something else brewing under the ground?
In view of the political upheavals along with legal, procedural issues witnessed in the past nine days, the Governor has also convened a one-day Special Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday with a single point agenda of a trust vote against Chief Minister Uddhav.
Instead of reaching to any particular point, the matter is getting more complicated. Immediately after the demand to prove majority, the Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu moved the Supreme Court today challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test and prove its majority in the House on Thursday, 30 June. The court agreed to hear the case at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The party has claimed that the Governor’s request is illegal as 16 rebel MLAs haven’t yet responded on possible disqualification.
The Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi however took to micro blogging site Twitter and tweeted, “How can a floor test be asked for when the disqualification of 16 MLA has deferred by the Supreme Court till 11th July? How can these MLAs participate in the floor test till their disqualification status not decided and the other matters for which notice sent is subjudice?”
She further tweeted, “This would be contempt of court proceedings if floor test conducted despite the matter not getting final hearing in the Supreme Court.”
Hitting on Governor, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also alleged that the call for an assembly vote was “unlawful” when the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the disqualification of rebel MLAs. The governor, he alleged has acted with “jet speed”.
Raut said, “It’s called Jet speed. The Governor was waiting for this moment only. We will go to the Supreme Court (against the Maharashtra Governor’s decision to call for a floor test). This is an unlawful activity as the matter of disqualification of our 16 MLAs is pending in SC.”
The rebel MLA Eknath Shinde who paid a visit to Kamakhya Temple with other MLAs today at Guwahati said that he will also reach Mumbai tomorrow and is ready to give floor test.
On Tuesday, Shinde claimed to have support of 50 MLAs and is all set to prove majority in the house.
But a parallel question continues to erupt as to why rebellion Shiv Sena MLAs approached the apex court when their leader Eknath Shinde claims to have the support of around 50 MLAs.
The number comfortably qualifies these MLA to be recognised as a new outfit and doesn’t qualify for anti-defection law. Why did these MLA’s bother to worry about their disqualification when the number justified their defection by the law?
The majority mark currently stands at 144 in the 287-member assembly. The ruling alliance of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has 152 MLAs. The state government will shrink to minority without the nearly 40 rebel MLAs and 10 independent taking to 50 legislators.
On Monday, team Thackeray had asked the Deputy Speaker to disqualify 16 MLAs including Mr Shinde, after which the rebel camp approached the Supreme Court, calling the move illegal. The court then gave the rebel Sena MLAs time until July 12 to respond to notices for their possible disqualification.
