Team Uddhav files new plea in Supreme Court

Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde Government comfortably passed the majority mark this morning, winning the trust vote after two weeks of political turmoil in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena moved a fresh petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of the new Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to recognise a new whip for the party from the Team Shinde.

The floor test was held a day after the BJP’s Rahul Nawrekar, a first-time MLA, was elected as the Speaker. Hours after his election, he reinstated Shinde as the head of the Legislature Party even though Uddhav Thackeray had taken action against him last week.

The new coalition Government comfortably got 164 votes in the 288-member house. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance managed to get just 99 votes, days after the collapse of the Government.

Just ahead of the trust vote, two MLAs swore loyalty to the Shinde group in the last 24 hours.

MLA Shyamsundar Shinde is now with the ruling Government. Sena MLA Santosh Bangar left with  Eknath  Shinde faction from a hotel this morning and arrived with the rebel MLAs at the Assembly, in growing trouble for Team Uddhav. Earlier 38 MLAs were said to have sided with Eknath Shinde.

Meanwhile, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena moved a fresh plea in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Assembly’s new Speaker to recognise a new whip for the party. As lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the matter, the Top Court listed it for hearing with other pending pleas on the Maharashtra political crisis on July 11.

In growing trouble for Shiv Sena, the new chief whip of the Shinde faction  gave a petition to the Assembly Speaker today for the suspension of 16 MLAs of the party for violation of the whip. The 16 MLAs would be issued notice for suspension, a news agency quoted the Speaker’s Office as saying.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena — the Uddhav Thackeray faction — has called a meeting of all its district chiefs today afternoon at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai. Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray had led to the fall of the Government within 2.5 years.