Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has challenged his rival Eknath Shinde and the BJP to face fresh elections, a day after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Shiv Sena tussle. Speaking at a news conference, Thackeray stated that if he resigned, Chief Minister Shinde should also resign on moral grounds and let the people take the final decision. He also warned that he would approach the Supreme Court again if the assembly speaker does not take a call on the disqualification of Shiv Sena MLAs who had rebelled last year, leading to the collapse of his government.
The Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Shinde will keep his job despite benefiting from an illegal decision by the then governor, in a setback for the Uddhav Thackeray camp. The Supreme Court said it cannot disqualify Mr. Shinde and 15 other MLAs for revolting against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June last year. That power will rest with the speaker until a larger panel of judges rules on it.
Thackeray also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that there’s a ‘nanga natch (naked dance) going on in the country, and he should stop that. He further called for action against the former governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, stating that there should be action taken against him. Thackeray stated that if action is taken against one, others will not do anything illegal.
The court censured the former governor for taking decisions that favored Shinde’s faction, stating that he had “erred” in concluding that Thackeray had lost the support of the majority of MLAs. However, the court rejected the request to restore Thackeray’s government because the leader had chosen to resign instead of facing a test of strength in the assembly.
In conclusion, the Shiv Sena tussle in Maharashtra has taken a new turn, with Thackeray daring his rival and the BJP to face fresh elections. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Shinde, and Thackeray has criticized the Prime Minister and called for action against the former governor. The political situation in Maharashtra remains fluid, and it remains to be seen what the next move will be.
