Apprehending poaching of its MLAs by the BJP, the Shiv Sena on Thursday lodged its newly elected MLAs and also those supporting the party at Bandra’s Rang Sharada Hotel in north-west Mumbai.
A total of 64 Sena and other supporting MLAs headed to Rang Sharada Hotel minutes after a meeting of newly elected MLAs held at Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence “Matoshtri”. “We are all together 64 MLAs – 56 belonging to the Sena and eight Independents and those belonging to the smaller parties,” a senior Sena MLA said
Confirming that the MLAs belonging to the Shiv Sena and other supporting MLAs were being put up at Rang Sharada Hotel, Sena’s whip Sunil Prabhu said: “ This is a crucial time for all of us. Our MLAs will be at the hotel till the formation of a new Government in the State”.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut dared the BJP to “poach” its MLAs. Contrary to the claim he had made earlier, Raut said that the BJP had not tried to woo the Sena MLAs. “The BJP has not approached our MLAs but it has reached out to MLAs from other parties. In our case, I dare them approach and try to poach our MLAs. Let’s see if they can wean away even one Sena MLA,” he said.
In a related development, State Congress president Balasaheb Thorat alleged that the BJP was trying to ‘poach’ its MLAs in its desperate bid to form the Government. The NCP also made a similar allegation.
The Congress has a strength of 44 MLAs, while the NCP has 56 MLAs in its camp.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that his party had no plans to put up its MLAs in any hotel. “I cannot talk about what the Shiv Sena is doing. As far as the Congress is concerned, we have no plans to move our MLAs to a hotel,” Chavan.
Hitting out at the Shiv Sena for putting up its MLAs at a hotel, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said: “By putting up them at a hotel, you are insulting the MLAs concerned. That only goes to prove that the Shiv Sena is not trusting their loyalty. This is my personal opinion,” the BJP leader said.