Maharashtra political crisis: Thackeray faction seals Shiv Sena legislative party office in the Assembly

The Maharashtra Assembly session to elect a new Speaker began on Sunday with a huge roar, when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other MLAs arrived in the state Assembly in Mumbai.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP MLAs also arrived at the state Assembly. The Maharashtra Assembly will pick a new Speaker on Sunday, following the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The groundwork has been laid for political changes in Maharashtra to occur over the weekend with the return of the MLAs who joined their leader Shinde in echoing the revolt against Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday night from Goa.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena legislative party office was sealed by the Thackeray faction, with a notice in Marathi pasted outside to that effect.

"We have closed the office of the Shiv Sena legislative party in the Assembly. We have to go to the House together, the keys to the office are with us. They had kept some of our MLAs locked up. What is the big deal if we've locked up the office," said Shiv Sena loyalist leader Aaditya Thackeray.

We have closed the office of the Shiv Sena legislative party in the Assembly. We have to go to the House together, the keys to the office are with us. They had kept some of our MLAs locked up. What is the big deal if we've locked up the office: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray pic.twitter.com/N6rZkT5Gjb

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2022

There was a notice in Marathi posted outside, which read, "This office is closed as per instructions of Shiv Sena legislative party office."

According to an official, the Speaker of the House election will take place on Sunday following the start of House proceedings at 11 am.

Sena MLA and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Rajan Salvi is the candidate of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine for the Speaker's election. He is pitted against first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar.

Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who support Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday evening on the eve of the Assembly session and were lodged in a luxury hotel in south Mumbai, where Vidhan Bhavan, the venue of the floor test, is located.