22 ruling ally MLAs have 'grown close' to Fadnavis, ready to crossover, claims Aaditya

Nagpur, Dec 8 (PTI) In a sensational claim, Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray on Monday asserted 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.

Fadnavis dismissed Thackeray's claim and asked what his party BJP will do with Shinde-led Sena's MLAs when they are already part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

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 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 Shiv Sena led by his arch political rival.

The 22 MLAs are "ready to switch (sides)," the former state minister claimed while talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhawan premises in Nagpur, where the state legislature is having its winter session.

The Opposition MLA from Worli in Mumbai also said someone from these 22 legislators calls himself "vice-captain", a veiled reference to Industries Minister Uday Samant.

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

The Shiv Sena won 57 seats in the 2024 assembly polls.

Fadnavis hit back at Aaditya Thackeray, saying the BJP, which heads the Mahayuti, does not engage in such poltics.

"The Shinde Sena is our ally and the true Shiv Sena. We don't do such politics. We stand with them and see to it that they get stronger. In future, we will certainly see the Shiv Sena, BJP and Mahayuti getting stronger," the CM insisted.

On the issue of inaction over appointing leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of the state legislature, Aaditya Thackeray asked why the government was 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 assembly polls last year, no party could win 10 per cent of the total 288 seats (29).

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 opposition, and a decision will be made after talks with stakeholders. PTI PR GK RSY