Maha crisis far from over; Sena talks tough, passes resolutions: 10 points

Eknath Shinde camp continues to hold up in Guwahati pulling the strings on the coalition government in Maharastra. CM Uddhav Thackeray is willing to take this to the very extreme before he concedes. Here are the 10 latest political developments in this big story.

Mumbai: The political crisis in Maharashtra has deepened further as the Eknath camp which has christened itself as 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb' party kept growing stronger and the Uddhav faction kept holding onto its last straws. CM Uddhav Thackeray, meanwhile, made it clear that the rebel MLAs can do anything except use Balasaheb Thackeray's name.

The party has passed six resolutions regarding the crisis during its national executive meeting today. Section 144 has been presently imposed in the financial capital as the fear of unrest looms.

Here are the 10 latest political developments in this big story:

1. In Shiv Sena national executive meeting, the party passed six resolutions. They included: (1) Uddhav Thackeray is authorised to take action against rebel MLAs. (2) Polls will be fought under the name of Uddhav Thackeray. (3) Party belongs to Balasaheb Thackeray and nobody is authorised to use his name. (4) No compromise on united Maharashtra. (5) Hindutva ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray will not be compromised, and (6) Shiv Sena will take legal action against those using Balasaheb's name.
2. Dissident Shiv Sena legislator Deepak Kesarkar Saturday said the rebel group enjoys two-thirds majority in the legislature party, and has appointed senior Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde as their leader. In a virtual press conference from Guwahati, where Shinde and other rebel MLAs are camping, Kesarkar said they have not left the Sena, but named their group Shiv Sena (Balasaheb).
3. Kesarkar said that recognition should be given to their faction and if it isn't, they will go to court and prove their existence and numbers. "We've numbers, but we respect CM Uddhav Thackeray, we won't speak against him. We must follow the path on which we fought Assembly elections," he said.
4. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that people will come to know what actions will be taken against those who have left the party by Saturday evening. "We'll take legal action against those who have used Balasaheb Thackeray's name for their self-centred politics. Those who have left can't use our patriarch's name," he said. Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray said they will not forget the betrayal done by rebel Shiv Sena MLAs. "We (Shiv Sena) will win for sure," he said.
5. Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly, meanwhile, has issued disqualification notice to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of Eknath Shinde camp currently staying in Guwahati. Further, all the 16 MLAs to whom the disqualification notice has been issued are supposed to file their written replies by Monday, 27th June.
6. Rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar said that no party was paying for their expenses (of hotel accommodation). Eknath Shinde, he said, called them. "We came and stayed here (Guwahati hotel); will pay the expenses. BJP isn't behind all of this," he said.
7. The no-confidence motion moved by the Eknath Shinde camp was rejected by the Deputy Speaker. It was reasoned that it was sent from Shiv Sena letterhead, and the present Shiv Sena Legislature Party head is Ajay Choudhari. It was sent from an anonymous email ID. Eknath Shinde was recently removed from the position of chief whip following his rebellion.
8. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said the MVA government in Maharashtra no longer enjoyed a majority in the legislature as over two-thirds of MLAs of the Shiv Sena were with rebel leader Eknath Shinde.
9. Shiv Sena workers ransacked the office of rebel party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune on Saturday, amid intensifying political turmoil in the state. Sawant is one of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Eknath Shinde faction and is currently camping in Guwahati, Assam. Following this, Pune Police issued an alert and directed all police stations to ensure security at offices related to Shiv Sena leaders in the city. Mumbai Police also issued a high alert and directed all police stations to ensure security at all political offices in the city. It has been directed that officer-level Police personnel shall visit every political office to ensure their safety.
10. Eknath on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in a Guwahati hotel. In his letter to Maharashtra CM Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Shinde claimed that the security provided to the MLAs at their residence as well as to their family members as per the protocol has been "illegally and unlawfully" withdrawn, as an "act of revenge".