Maharashtra Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde
Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLA who turned against the ruling-MVA government in the state, moved the Supreme Court against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker against 16 rebel leaders who are camping with him in Guwahati. A vacation bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala is likely to hear Shinde’s plea on Monday.
The rebel MLAs raised the flag of rebellion against the MVA government in the state and threatened to demolish it.
In another petition filed before the Supreme Court, the rebel leaders said the principles of Shiv Sena were being compromised due to the unruly alliance of the MVA. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala will hear both the petitions on Monday.
The Shinde-led rebel group has been demanding that the Shiv Sena pull out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which also includes the Congress and the NCP, but Shiv Sena supremo and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has refused to give up and the party has now met the dissidents. Said to quit and contest again.
‘Summons’ to rebel leaders
The Maharashtra Assembly Secretariat on Saturday issued ‘summons’ to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27, seeking their disqualification.
The summons was sent in a letter to all 16 MLAs nominated by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu, signed by Rajendra Bhagwat, principal secretary of Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan.
Prabhu had earlier asked the rebel MLAs of the Shinde faction to attend the party meeting here on Wednesday, but none of them turned up.
The Shiv Sena then submitted two letters to the legislature secretariat, demanding the disqualification of 16 MLAs, including Shinde.
The summons issued by Bhagwat on Saturday said that Prabhu had submitted a letter to Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Narhari Jirwal seeking his disqualification under the Members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on grounds of defection) Rules, 1986.