Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to Prove Majority in Assembly on July 4

Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde took oath as Maharashtra CM on 30th June. Devendra Fadnavis is the new Deputy CM. A special session of the Maharashtra assembly will be held on Sunday and Monday. The focus is on a ‘vote of confidence in new chief minister Eknath Shinde’s government.

Earlier the session was set for Saturday and Sunday, but now nominations for the post of the speaker will be on Saturday. 50 MLAs including 39 from his party are with Eknath Shinde.

Thackeray resigned the day before less than an hour after the Supreme Court said it would not stop the controversial floor test ordered by governor BS Koshyari. The Thackeray camp and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government include the allies Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.

Shinde has claimed that 39 on his side, his faction is the ‘true’ Shiv Sena. If that is upheld in Monday’s vote, then Uddhav Thackeray faces the prospect of losing control of his party. The Thackeray camp’s move to disqualify Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs was challenged and that hearing will only happen on July 12.

The Sena camp led by Thackeray has only 16, with 44 and 54 with the Congress and NCP. The BJP has a 106, with the rest of the 288 seats split between smaller parties and independents. Eknath Shinde is widely seen as having engineered the revolt after a falling out with Uddhav Thackeray over last month’s legislative council polls.

Shinde earlier said he would call his group Shiv Sena (Balasaheb) – a reference to late founder and patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray. Devendra Fadnavis served as Maharashtra CM from 2014 to 2019.

Fadnavis announced rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s name as the next CM of Maharashtra. Earlier Fadnavis decided to stay out of the government. But later sworn in as deputy CM. Fadnavis decided to join the government on the advice of BJP chief JP Nadda.

Fadnavis became the 5th such former CM to accept a junior position in the state government after having served as CM. Shinde has credited Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as his deputy after a ‘personal request’ by his party’s top figures, for his win.

“People thought that the BJP was desperate for power. But truly, this is a masterstroke by Devendra ji.” CM Eknath Shinde