Maharashtra Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde
Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLA who turned against the ruling-MVA government in the state, moved the Supreme Court against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker against 16 rebel leaders that are camping along with him in Guwahati. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala is likely to hear Shinde’s plea on Monday.
The rebel MLAs have raised a banner of revolt against the MVA government in the state, threatening to bring it down.
In another petition filed before the Supreme Court, the rebel leaders said that the principles of Shivsena are being compromised due to an unruly coalition of MVA. Both petitions will be heard by the SC bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala on Monday.
The rebel group led by Shinde is demanding that Shiv Sena should withdraw from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which also comprises the Congress and NCP, but Sena supremo and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has refused to give in and the party has now asked the dissidents to quit and contest polls again.
‘Summons’ to rebel leaders
The Maharashtra legislature secretariat on Saturday had issued ‘summons’ to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification.
Signed by Rajendra Bhagwat, principal secretary of the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan, the summons were sent to all 16 MLAs named by the Shiv Sena’s chief whip Sunil Prabhu in a letter.
Prabhu had earlier asked the rebel MLAs of the Shinde faction to attend a party meeting here on Wednesday but none of them turned up.
Subsequently, the Sena submitted two letters to the legislature secretariat, seeking disqualification of 16 MLAs including Shinde.
The summons issued by Bhagwat on Saturday said that Prabhu had submitted a letter to deputy speaker of the Assembly Narhari Zirwal seeking their disqualification under The Members of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on ground of Defection) Rules, 1986.