Maharashtra political crisis: CM Thackeray to chair cabinet meeting today

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will hold a cabinet meeting at 5 pm today, informed Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Tuesday.

As per the sources, Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar will not be physically present in the Cabinet meeting today.

“CM will chair the meeting virtually and Deputy CM is likely to join through VC as he is COVID-19 positive,” said sources.

The cabinet meeting will be taking place amid the ongoing political crisis which was triggered when Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.

The meeting came a day after Thackeray reshuffled the departments of ministers and took away portfolios of nine ministers who have joined the Eknath Shinde camp.

Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had on Monday accused them of “betraying” the party and said, “the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena”.

Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were “enjoying” in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state.

Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde’s rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati.

He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but “he did drama”.

Notably, the battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12.

During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for Eknath Shinde and others told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending.