Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, 1 July, removed the new Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from the post of leader in the party.
In a letter addressed to Shinde, Thackeray wrote, "You have been indulging in anti-party activities and have also voluntarily given up your membership of Shiv Sena."
"Therefore, in exercise of the powers vested in me as the Shiv Sena Paksha Pramukha, I remove you from the post of Shiv Sena Leader in the party organisation," Thackeray added.
Uddhav Thackeray's letter to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
While Shinde has claimed to be the leader of the Sena, arguing that Thackeray's camp is now in a minority, he has never claimed to be the party chief (Paksha Pramukh).
Earlier on Friday, Thackeray had said that Shinde could not call himself a Shiv Sena chief minister after 'abandoning' the party. "He is not a Shiv Sena chief minister. You cannot abandon Shiv Sena and claim to be a Sena chief minister," he said.
Thackeray had resigned as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Wednesday, 29 June, shortly after the Supreme Court allowed a floor test to be held for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by the Sena, to prove its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The next day, Shinde was sworn-in as CM while BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy CM.
The Shinde government is scheduled to prove its majority in the Assembly on 4 July. The speaker's election will be held on 3 July, the nomination for which will be filed on 2 July.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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