22 MLAs close to Fadnavis, may cross over: Aaditya

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed that 22 MLAs from a Mahauti ally have “grown close” to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and are ready to switch sides, an oblique reference to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

In June 2022, the Shiv Sena split following a rebellion led by Shinde, resulting in the collapse of the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi Government.

Later, in January 2024, assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar held that the Eknath Shinde-led faction was the “real” Shiv Sena, which is a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti in the state along with the BJP and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

“There is one party and two factions on the treasury side. Twenty-two MLAs from one faction have grown close to the CM. They have good funds and they have started dancing to the tune of the CM,” Aaditya Thackeray claimed, without naming the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The 22 MLAs are “ready to switch (sides),” he further claimed while talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhawan premises here.

The Worli MLA also said that someone from these 22 legislators calls himself “vice-captain”, a veiled reference to Industries Minister Uday Samant.

In the past, the Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed that Samant could be the third chief minister of the state, along with Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

On the issue of inaction over appointing leaders of the opposition in both Houses of the state legislature, Aaditya Thackeray asked why the Government is afraid of LoPs.

Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav has been nominated by his party, the largest Opposition outfit in the lower house with 20 MLAs, for the post of LoP in the legislative assembly, but no decision has been taken on the Cabinet-rank appointment by the speaker.

In the past, Jadhav had written to the state legislature seeking to know if there is any rule mandating that an Opposition party should have 10 per cent of the total strength of the assembly (29 out of 288 seats) to stake a claim to the LoP post.

Following the Opposition’s rout in the state assembly polls last year, no party could win 10 per cent of the total 288 seats.

The tenure of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve, who was the LoP in the legislative council, ended in August. The Congress has nominated its MLC Satej Patil for appointment as the LoP in the upper house.

State legislative council chairperson Ram Shinde on Sunday said his office has received a proposal for the appointment of a leader of the opposition, and a decision will be made after talks with stakeholders.