With all eyes locked on Maharashtra amid the escalating political crisis, a delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 28 June met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan and requested that a floor test be ordered.
The visit came hours after Fadnavis returned from Delhi after meeting the party's central leadership.
Earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had convened a state Cabinet meeting in Mumbai. The CM had appealed to the rebel MLAs to return to Mumbai and talk to him. Uddhav's appeal came hours after rebel leader Eknath Shinde on Tuesday morning said, "We will return to Mumbai soon. We are still in the Shiv Sena."
Further, Shiv Sena's national spokesperson Sanjay Raut, who had been summoned by the ED today amid the turmoil, has been granted more time to make his appearance. Earlier in the day, Raut addressed the media and said that the Shiv Sena was fighting the second war of Independence.
On Monday, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court granted relief to rebel MLAs, extending the time for the petitioners to submit their responses to the disqualification notices till 11 July
The apex court on Monday refused to pass any interim order on the plea that there should not be any floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly till 11 July
Uddhav Thackeray stripped nine rebel cabinet ministers of their portfolios and handed them over to others
Sanjay Raut skipped the fresh ED summons issued to him for 28 June
Raut said that the rebel MLAs who have sold their souls are like "the walking dead"
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
BJP Demands Floor Test
A delegation led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis has requested the Governor to order a floor test of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the state.
"The BJP has written to the Governor over political crisis in Maharashtra. We have learnt from the media that 39 MLAs of the Shiv Sena are outside the state and are demanding that they do not want to be with the MVA. The government is in minority. We have requested the Governor to order a floor test. We are sure that the Governor will take an appropriate decision and order a floor test," Fadnavis told the media.
BJP Delegation Led by Devendra Fadnavis Meets Governor
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by former CM Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Eknath Shinde Takes a Jab at CM, Shiv Sena Leaders
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde took a jab at the Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leaders, and said in a tweet, "On the one hand, his son and spokesperson call the Shiv Sainiks of honourable Balasaheb as pigs, nalyachigana, reda, dogs, jahil and corpses, abuse their fathers, while on the other hand, they want to save these anti-Hindu MVA government, what does it mean?"
State Cabinet Meeting Tomorrow
Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai said that a state Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow as well, reported ANI. Desai said, "Everything is normal in the government."