Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde are likely to hold talks over Maharashtra government formation.
Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde will decide the future course of action, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said on Wednesday night, hours after Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the Chief Minister. Fadnavis, credited for affecting the Sena revolt and Thackeray's subsequent resignation, said, "I will tell the party's stand tomorrow for sure." Shinde claims the support of 40 Shiv Sena MLAs. He and his supporters reached Goa from Guwahati yesterday. They had originally planned to visit Mumbai to take part in the floor test but since it is not needed now, Patil has urged them to stay put and reach the Maharashtra capital only to take oath.
Eknath Shinde had demanded from Uddhav Thackeray that he end his "unnatural" alliance with NCP and Congress. He and other rebels were reportedly miffed with Thackeray's alleged dilution of stand on Hindutva, a plank Shiv Sena adopted over three decades ago. He had said the rebels would not merge with the BJP but form a separate block within the Shiv Sena.
What future options does Eknath Shinde and the rebels have?
The easiest and most probable option is -- merger with the BJP. Eknath Shinde has a claimed support of over 40 MLAs, which is more than enough to evade the anti-defection law. This means the MLAs can become BJP MLAs without facing disqualification. They can easily vote for the party in the floor test. It is likely that Shinde, and many other Sena MLAs, will be accomodated in the future state cabinet.
If the rebels insist on being recognised as Shiv Sena (Balasaheb), they would have to face legal hurdles. Under the anti-defection law, MLAs can be disqualified for dishonoring their party's whip. When the BJP forms a government and appears for a floor test, they would most likely be disqualified should they choose to vote for the JP Nadda-led party. Then they would have to face bypolls in the next 6 months if the BJP fields them as its candidates.
They can also opt to fight a legal battle with the Uddhav Thackeray faction for the party's official election symbol. If granted, they will become the real Shiv Sena.
The Election Commission would decide which faction is the real Shiv Sena. The poll body takes many factors into account before awarding the recognition, including the support of MLAs, MPs, corporators and party office bearers. Though Shinde has the support of MLAs and some MPs, Thackeray reportedly have the backing of grassroots workers and office bearers. The panel can also assign two different symbols to the two factions until the issue is not resolved.
With inputs from PTI
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