Mumbai: Amid growing political uncertainty in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has handed over the portfolios of nine rebel ministers, currently camping in Assam’s Guwahati city, to the other ministers, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The portfolios of the rebel ministers, as per an official statement, were being handed over to the other ministers for ease of administration.
This development comes as nine Maharashtra ministers have so far joined the rebel camp led by Eknath Shinde.
The Shiv Sena presently has four cabinet ministers, including Chief Minister Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab and Subhash Desai.
Barring 30-year-old Aaditya Thackeray, who is Maharashtra’s Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister, the rest three are MLCs.
The Shiv Sena had 10 Cabinet-rank ministers in the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government before the rebellion and four Ministers of State (MoS), who have now joined the rebel camp in Guwahati.
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Meanwhile, Shinde in his petition filed before the Supreme Court said the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has lost the majority in the house as 38 of the 55 legislators have withdrawn their support to the coalition, news agency Asian News International (ANI) reported.
The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, led by Shinde, moved the apex court against the disqualification notice issued against them.
Shinde camp has also challenged the rejection of the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Narahari Zirwal.
Earlier on Saturday, the Maharashtra legislature secretariat had issued summons to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde.
The Maharashtra legislature secretariat sought written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification.