BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is headed to New Delhi for a possible meeting with the BJP top brass amid speculation in Maharashtra that the Shiv Sena rebels headed by Eknath Shinde are preparing for floor test in the state Assembly.
- Shinde claims he has 50 MLAs with him, reports ndtv.com
- Will return to Mumbai soon, says Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde, asks Sena to disclose names of his group MLAs who are reportedly in contact with it.
- Shinde leaves Guwahati hotel. On way to Delhi or Mumbai?
- Uddhav Thackeray calls cabinet meet at 2:30 pm, reports ndtv.com
Reports in ndtv.com suggest that several BJP leaders held a brainstorming session at Fadnavis's residence in Mumbai to discuss the arithmetic required to form a government along with the Shinde faction.
"We are waiting for the MVA government to declare that they don't have the numbers," said party leader Sudhir Mungantiwa, reports NDTV.
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to pass orders on a plea moved by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government urging that there should be no floor test till the pending issues are decided. "If anything illegal happens, you can always move this court," it said.
The Supreme Court kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings against 16 rebel Sena MLAs, sought the deputy Speaker’s response to their plea questioning his authority to issue disqualification notices, and said it would hear the matter next on July 11.
In an interim order, the apex court said the June 27 deadline set by the deputy Speaker for the rebels to respond to the disqualification notices would stand extended till 5.30pm on July 12.
The bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala also recorded a statement from the Maharashtra government counsel that no harm would be caused to the life or properties of 39 rebel Sena MLAs and their families.
The rebel Sena MLAs have been holed up in a hotel in Guwahati. Sources have told ndtv.com that they have extended their stay in Guwahati till July 5.
The court refused to pass any interim order on the Maharashtra government’s plea that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly, and said the government could always approach it in case of any illegality, PTI reported.
Rebel leader Eknath Shinde and another MLA have challenged the competence of deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal to issue disqualification notices when a no-confidence notice is pending against him.
The Maharashtra Assembly currently has no Speaker. The rebels have sought Zirwal’s removal on the ground that he is biased.
The court issued notices to Zirwal, Sena legislature party leader Ajay Chaudhary, Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu, the state government and the Centre on the rebels’ petition.
It asked the deputy Speaker to put on affidavit records of the no-trust notice served on him by the rebel MLAs, PTI reported.
“The counter affidavits (by Zirwal and others), if any, be filed within five days. Rejoinder (from Sena rebels) there to be filed within three days thereafter. List the matter for hearing on July 11,” the court order said.
