Mumbai, June 21
Maharashtra minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has gone incommunicado, a party leader said on Tuesday, in a setback after the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) lost one of the six seats in the state legislative council elections. ,
The development could knock the MVA, including Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, as some Shiv Sena MLAs are believed to be in touch with Shinde.
A party leader said that Shinde may be in Gujarat with some MLAs.
The leader did not reveal the number and details of the MLAs who could be with Shinde.
Shinde has influence in some satellite cities of Mumbai.
“He (Shinde) was at the Shiv Sena office in the assembly complex on Monday when Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was present there. But after that no one came to know about him. He was not present during the counting of votes (for the MLC elections),” the leader said.
The opposition BJP won 10 of all five seats in the state Legislative Council election on Monday, while Congress candidate and Dalit leader Chandrakant Handor lost, in another blow to the MVA after the Rajya Sabha elections earlier this month. ,
Shiv Sena and NCP won two candidates each, while Congress got only one seat.
Ten were to occupy the council seats and 11 candidates were in the fray, which came days after the Rajya Sabha elections, in which the BJP suffered a humiliating defeat by the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition.