After the recent take-over of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, it seems as if the BJP has now come all guns blazing to usurp the seat in Maharashtra from Shiv Sena, and the current Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This is how it is being done.
How do the numbers stack up in the Maharashtra Assembly right now?
The Assembly elections for a total of 288 seats were conducted in 2019 in Maharashtra. The majority required to form a government in the state stood at 144. While the BJP managed to grab 106 seats, it was the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena that formed the government in the state, after forming a coalition with the Congress and its faction, the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). This coalition was called the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
What is happening now?
Eknath Shinde, a member of the Shiv Sena, a part of the Maharashtra government's cabinet and an MLA from Thane's Kopri-Pachpakhadi has rebelled against Shiv Sena's top leadership. He has expressed disappointment over the coalition with the Congress and the NCP, and has pushed for a shift to an alliance with the BJP instead.
What is Eknath Shinde doing?
In a coup of sorts, Shinde is attempting to garner the support of other MLAs from Shiv Sena, and collectively shift to the BJP. According to the law, if an MLA changes parties after the election (defection), he will be disqualified. However, if a group of MLAs shift parties, and the number is enough to form a majority in the house for the new party, then a floor test is all it needs to maintain the legality of that conversion. Essentially, Shinde needs the support of 37 of Shiv Sena's MLAs to pull this off. He claims that he has the support of 40 of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena.
How are the MLAs being convinced?
Initially, Shinde and the other rebel MLAs were meeting in Gujarat, which is a BJP-ruled state. Now, they have moved to Guwahati in Assam, which is another BJP-ruled state. A resolution has been passed and submitted to the Governor of Maharashtra, signed by 34 rebel MLAs, who state that Eknath Shinde is the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislative Party. This, despite the fact that Shinde was removed from the position recently.
What is the situation right now?
Uddhav Thackeray has vacated the Chief Minister's residence and moved back to his private residence. He also cancelled a meeting with 12 Shiv Sena MLAs. He went live on Facebook to deliver a speech, where he said he would resign if the people of the state no longer want him to be the CM.
