Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray submitted his resignation on Wednesday night soon after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Governor’s order for a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday.
In an emotionally-charged Facebook address, Thackeray announced his resignation from “I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhawan. I will gather all my people,” Thackeray said.
He thanked NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for their support. Both the NCP and the Congress are the other two constituents of the ruling alliance.
The Sena chief also mentioned the cabinet decisions taken earlier in the day and said he has fulfilled Balasaheb’s dreams by renaming the Aurangabad city. “I am satisfied that we have officially renamed Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv – the cities named by Balasaheb Thackeray,” he said.
Shinde, along with 39 rebel Sena MLAs and 10 Independents, was camping at a luxury hotel in Assam’s Guwahati for the last one week even as the official faction led by Thackeray made every effort to placate them. Shinde said the MLAs will reach Mumbai on Thursday before the floor test.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ordered for a floor test in the Assembly after BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met him in the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday night and claimed that the Thackeray government had lost majority in the house. Fadnavis visited Raj Bhavan soon after returning from Delhi where he had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda.
Earlier, the Supreme Court on Wednesday night ordered the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test to prove its majority in the Assembly tomorrow. The order came after a lengthy hearing on a plea by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to CM Uddhav to face a trust vote. Earlier during the hearing, the top court had observed that the floor of the House was the only way to settle these issues of democracy.
Appearing for rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde, Sr Adv Neeraj Kishan Kaul told the Supreme Court Wednesday that a floor test can never be delayed and that it was the “only way to determine political accountability and avoid horse trading.”
He added that proceedings of disqualification pending “are no grounds to delay floor test”. The top court was hearing a plea by Shiva Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday at 11 am. The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict at 9 pm today.
Earlier arguing before the top court, senior Advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for Prabhu, said the direction for a floor test tomorrow reveals “undue haste” and is “unholy”. He further said that the order to conduct a floor test in a “supersonic speed” amounts to putting the cart before the horse.
He added that people who have changed sides cannot represent the will of the people and asked whether “heavens would fall if the floor test was not held tomorrow.”
