Guwahati: Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and dissident Maharashtra MLA Ashok Singhal arrived at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati of Assam to meet on Saturday night.
Four additional party MLAs arrived in Guwahati on Thursday and joined the others who had been camped up at the Radisson Blu since Wednesday. Notably, 38 of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, or more than two-thirds of the party’s strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, are said to back Eknath Shinde. It indicates that they won’t be barred from the state assembly if they decide to resign and start a new political party or join forces with another.
However, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant asserted that many of the dissident MLAs wish to return but that some travelled to Assam with Eknath Shinde under duress and out of fear.
Some of the rebels’ offices were allegedly vandalised in Maharashtra by Shiv Sena members while they are still camped out in Guwahati.
In the meantime, the Shiv Sena executive party meeting on Saturday in Mumbai decided to take stern action against individuals who had betrayed the party. In the meeting, six resolutions were approved. 16 Shiv Sena dissident MLAs from the Eknath Shinde camp who are currently residing in Guwahati, Assam, received disqualification notices from the Maharashtra Assembly’s deputy speaker. Additionally, written responses are required to be sent by June 27 for all 16 MLAs to whom the disqualification notice has been sent (Monday).