Uddhav faces rebellion from within the party

By Our Special Correspondent

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday decided to send two Shiv Sena leaders to Surat in neighboring Gujarat for talks with Eknath Shinde. Shinde and several party MLAs have been camping in a hotel here since midnight yesterday, which has sparked discontent in the MVA government. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are members of the MVA.

Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde along with 30-35 party MLAs and independents revolted and urged the former to form a new government with the BJP in the state. Shinde wants Sena to return to its former ally in the new government led by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The cut is also questionable on Uddhav's leadership, as Shinde is close to him.

On Tuesday, the meeting was attended by Shiv Sena president CM Thackeray, party MLAs Sunil Kadam, Dada Bhuse, Neelam Gorhe, MPs Arvind Sawant and Vinayak Routh, MLA Manisha Kayande and other leaders.

With 105 MLAs, the BJP has emerged as the largest party with the support of six independents. It needs another 40 to reach the half mark to come back to power (see box). In the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP got support from 123 and in the subsequent MLC elections, its votes rose to 134, apparently by cross-voting.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Routh had said that Shinde was not in Mumbai but communication with him had been arranged. Routh stressed that the Sena was a party of loyalists and that the BJP's attempts to overthrow the MVA government were not as successful as in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. He also said that Shinde was a loyal Shiv Sena soldier and that the 'missing' MLAs would return after the party was able to reach them.

Uddhav tried to contact Shinde by sending his personal assistant Milind Norvekar to Surat. During Narvekar's 30 - minute meeting with Shinde, Uddhav and his spouse spoke to Rashmi Thackeray on the phone, but did not guarantee he would return to the army.

Most of the Emmelle with Shinde are from rural areas. “They were never entertained by Uddhav and his coterie. Shinde turned the place to his advantage. He is also worried about Aditya Thackeray's rise in the party,”said a source close to Shinde.