• Shiv Sena olive branch to rebels, return to Mumbai, we will consider pulling out of MVA
• Only 13 Shiv Sena MLAs present at Thackeray's meeting, reports NDTV
• Whoever wants to leave may do so, but Shiv Sena will always remain firm, says Sena leader Sanjay Raut, reports NDTV
• Sharad Pawar at NCP meet: Have told chief minister we are with him
• Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, among the latest to join the rebel camp, says they want Uddhav Thackeray tie up with the BJP and form a government: reports NDTV
• Sena MP Krupal Tumane denies reports of joining rebel faction led by Eknath Shinde, reports PTI
• We are in touch with 20 rebel MLAs, says Sanjay Raut, reports NDTV
• TMC protest outside Guwahati hotel where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs are camping, reports NDTV
• As many as 40 MLAs are said to have joined the rebels. Five Independent MLAs are also with Shinde
• Three more MLAs reach Guwahati to support the Eknath Shinde faction: Reports
• Uddhav Thackeray moved out of his official residence Wednesday night, hours after his emotional offer to quit
• Shiv Sena rebels have written to the Governor declaring Eknath Shinde as their leader

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asked Shiv Sena MLAs to tell him to his face to relinquish his chair instead of plotting behind his back, playing the emotional card in a salvage bid with the numbers appearing to be stacked against him.

Uddhav had expected around 12 of the rebel MLAs holed up at a Surat hotel since Tuesday to flee in a day or two. But after rebel leader Eknath Shinde shifted to Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam along with 34 fellow Sena MLAs, he was forced to issue his appeal.

“If Sena MLAs feel I should not be chief minister, let them tell it to my face. If they hesitate to come here now, they can tell me on the phone. But Shiv Sainiks must not betray me,” he said on Facebook Live.

“What of the chief minister’s post — if they don’t want me as Shiv Sena chief, I shall relinquish that post too.”

He added: “They (rebel MLAs) all know under what circumstances we had formed the alliance with the NCP and the Congress. The Congress and the NCP had reposed faith in me. But if my own people don’t have faith in me, what can I do? Let them tell me, ‘You are not good enough for CM’ and I shall step aside. I shall be happy to see another Shiv Sainik in this chair.”

The cleverly crafted message seemed to throw a poser before party workers and MLAs — whether Shinde was more acceptable as the Sena leader than Uddhav.

The chief minister tried to rebut Shinde’s allegation of a dilution of the Sena ideology, asserting that the party had not abandoned Hindutva and that there was no difference between his Sena and that of his father, Balasaheb Thackeray.

Uddhav’s objective seems to be to evoke reactions from the party workers on the leadership question. If there is an outpouring of emotions on the ground in Uddhav’s favour after his appeal, some of the rebels may come under pressure, denying Shinde the numbers he needs to escape the anti-defection law.

While two MLAs have fled Surat to rejoin Uddhav, a few more daring to break ranks can cause alarm in the Shinde camp.

Uddhav contested the allegations of inaccessibility, saying he had fought valiantly against Covid during the first and second waves before poor health curtailed his outings.

He spoke of how the tree lamented that the axe had felled it with the help of wood (handle) attached to it, stressing his sense of betrayal at a time the absence of criticism against the rebel MLAs on the ground would be worrying him.

Stray protests have taken place but the social pressure Uddhav had expected to be exerted on the rebels’ families has not materialised.

Sena workers did come out in greater numbers to express support for Uddhav after the appeal. Uddhav, however, has taken a huge gamble as the Sena cadre, long accustomed to the idea of a robust leadership, is more receptive to fire and brimstone than what it might see as weak sentimentality.

Uddhav’s appeal comes against speculation about a cabinet resolution for dissolution of the Assembly. The chief minister has indicated he might leave his official residence, Varsha, and move back into his ancestral home, Matoshree.

It’s clear, though, that Uddhav hasn’t thrown in the towel. NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Congress leaders met him soon after his appeal and discussed future action.

If Uddhav does lose his chair, Shinde is expected to shift towards bellicose Hindutva.

Shinde has tweeted that the Sena should return to the BJP’s embrace and that the Congress and the NCP alone had gained politically in the last two-and-a-half years.

There had been speculation about Uddhav offering the chief minister’s chair to Shinde to save the coalition government but it didn’t happen. Shinde’s pro-BJP noises will make it difficult for him to return to the coalition.

Speculation also swirled about the Sena’s impending return to the BJP fold on the pretext of the rebellion. The Congress and the NCP have, however, dismissed this conspiracy theory.