Shinde’s camp secured 164 votes, crossing the half-way mark of 144 and proving its strength on the floor of the House
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday proved his government’s majority in the state assembly today.
The trust vote ends the two weeks of political tussle that split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alliance.
Shinde proved his government’s majority on the Assembly floor today following a vote by head count. Shinde’s camp secured 164 votes, crossing the half-way mark of 144 and proving its strength on the floor of the House. The total strength of the House is 288. Meanwhile, Uddhav camp had the support of 99 MLAs.
Ahead of the floor test, one more Shiv Sena MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray camp joined CM Shinde’s faction, taking its tally to 40.
Meanwhile speaking in the assembly, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that their alliance had received the mandate, but was deliberately taken away from the majority.
“But with Eknath Shinde, we have once again formed our Govt with Shiv Sena. A true Shivsainik has been made the CM. I became the Deputy CM as per my party’s command,” the deputy CM said.
Fadnavis further said that the political parties in the state are opponents, not enemies and went on to say that ED means Eknath (Shinde) and Devendra (Fadnavis).
“I spoke with Raj Thackeray. We are all political opponents. We are not enemies. True that these people have come to us because of ED – ED here means Eknath Devendra,” he said while speaking in the assembly.
Fadnavis added that the opponents in Maharashtra can go to each other’s house, can chat and have meals together.
The Shiv Sena currently has 55 MLAs in the 288-member state Assembly. Santosh Bangar, the MLA from Kalamnuri in Hingoli district, on Monday morning switched over to the Shinde camp.
Earlier, in a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the Eknath Shinde-led government’s floor test, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar had on Sunday reinstated Shinde as the Shiv Sena legislature party leader, removing Ajay Chaudhary. Narvekar also recognised the appointment of Bharat Gogawale from the Shinde camp as the chief whip of the Sena, removing Sunil Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray faction.
The development comes as a major setback to the Thackeray faction, which will be bound by the whip to be issued by Gogawale for the trust vote. If these MLAs refuse to follow the whip, they face disqualification.
A plea by the Uddhav Thackeray faction, seeking disqualification of 16 MLAs of the Shinde camp, is before the Supreme Court. But even in case of disqualification, the new government will have the numerical advantage.
