Maharashtra News Updates: Shiv Sena backs Droupadi Murmu; Congress cries foul

NCP's Jayant Patil said, "I don't see any possibility of MVA to go separate from Uddhav Thackrey. No, if Uddhav ji has supported Draupadi Murmu ji then it doesn't mean he is in NDA now. It is history if Shiv Sena that if any Shiv Sainik leaves party then he always comes winning that respective seat. Uddhav Thackrey ji is of soft nature and he will come back with more power. MVA is still intact. Subhash Desai's letter is signaling at making the same person cm again whom once removed and in Maharashtra you will see this happening."

In a fresh setback to Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, party spokesperson and former Mumbai corporator Sheetal Mhatre crossed over to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde faction on Tuesday.

(Source: PTI)

Meanwhile, heavy rains continued to lash parts of Maharashtra, leading to the death of three persons in related incidents over the past 24 hours and the evacuation of 95 people from flooded places, the state government said on Tuesday.

(Source:  PTI)

"We will fully support Droupadi Murmu for the Presidential elections. All our MLAs will vote for her under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi," said Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

"Shiv Sena will support Droupadi Murmu for Presidential elections," said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. 

In a press conference, NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that Shiv Sena (Uddhav Faction) has not officially issued any statement declaring their support for Droupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate. 

He said, "Uddhav ji has not yet officially declared support for Droupadi. There is rebellion in Shiv Sena. NCP and Congress are standing with Uddhav ji. We recognize Uddhav Thackeray faction as the real Shiv Sena."

On whether 12 Lok Sabha MPs will join his faction, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde remarked, "I don't know yet. But many people, I won't say thousands, which include office-bearers, workers and public representatives are in touch with us. People have faith in the state government because of our position on Balasaheb's ideology and the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. The Deputy CM has handled the affairs of the state successfully as the CM for 5 years. Many people are in touch with us because they have faith that the state government will ensure the all-round development of the state and give justice to the common man."

High tide hits Marine Drive in Mumbai amid rainfall. Here are visuals from Gateway of India.

A key meeting of NCP has commenced at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and other key leaders are present in the meeting. 

If Shiv Sena supports Mrs. Draupadi Murmu, will it be a historic decision of the party? Do you know why? Because earlier Balasaheb used to give orders, MPs used to follow them. This time it will happen that the MPs ordered, the party obeyed. This will be the height of the internal democracy of Shiv Sena."

MNS chief Raj Thackeray postponed a party convention that he was scheduled to address tomorrow. This decision was taken owing to the incessant rains lashing various parts of Maharashtra.

In a massive development, sources told Republic TV that Shiv Sena has decided to support NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu. This decision was taken in a meeting of Sena MPs chaired by party president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday. Thackeray will make an official announcement in this regard very soon. 

As per the India Meteorological Department, Moderate to intense spells of rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Raigad, and Ghat areas of Pune and Satara, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Latur during the next 3-4 hours. 

Mumbai Weather forecast for today:

• Moderate to heavy rain in the city & suburbs. Possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places. Occasional gusty winds reaching 40-50 km per hour very likely.

Today’s High Tide: 10.54hrs - 4.47mtr
Low Tide : 16.52 hrs- 1.93 mtr
High Tide: 22.46 hrs – 3.87 mtr
 

Rain continues to lash several parts of Mumbai. 

Shiv Sena workers and office-bearers in Aurangabad have started committing their loyalty to party president Uddhav Thackeray by signing bond papers and getting them notarized. A local leader said on Monday that they launched this drive "spontaneously" in view of the rebellion by Eknath Shinde and other MLAs against the Sena leadership. The Sena workers are pledging their loyalty to Uddhav Thackeray on bond papers, each valued at Rs 100, and getting them notarized.

A review meeting was held with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at Gadchiroli District Collector's Office on July 11 regarding the flood situation in Gadchiroli and various measures being taken by the administration. Taking detailed information, appropriate instructions were given by the Chief Minister.

As many as 83 people have died in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra between June 1 and  July 10, the state disaster management authority said in a report on Monday. The report said 164 animals, too, have perished during the same period in rain-related incidents. Nashik district in North Maharashtra recorded the maximum deaths at 12 followed by Nagpur (four). These deaths were caused by incidents like floods, lightning strikes, landslides, falling of trees and collapse of structures, among others, it said.

Chandrapur, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Hingoli, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Raigad, Thane and Mumbai did not record any fatality since the beginning of the monsoon last month, the report said. Several parts of the state, including Mumbai and its adjoining areas, witnessed heavy rainfall between June 1 and July 10.

Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar tendered his resignation from the post of Department head (Vibhaag Pramukh). Along with Sarvankar, other Shiv Sainiks resigned from their post as Branch heads (Shakha Pramukh). Their resignation was sent to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The Indian Metrological Department issued a red alert for Kolhapur, Palghar, Nashik, Pune, and Ratnagiri districts for heavy rains till July 14. An orange alert has been issued for Mumbai for the next 3 days. 

Mumbai police arrested a person accused of threatening a Mumbai girl who posted in favour of Nupur Sharma from Budgam in J&K. He was produced in court today. 

With the Supreme Court hearing on OBC quota in local bodies scheduled for July 12 (Tuesday), the five-member commission handed over its report to Chief Secretary Manukumar Shrivastava on Saturday. All political parties in the state have opposed conducting the polls on August 18 without the OBC quota.

The Shiv Sena formally claimed the Leader of Opposition post in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said sources on Monday.
"Two days ago, a meeting of all the Legislative Council members of Shiv Sena was held under the leadership of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. We had unanimously decided that Uddhav Thackeray has all the rights to appoint the party's chief whip. Today we had come to meet the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council Neelam Tai Gorhe in the same regard," Shiv Sena's Legislative Council member Manisha Kayande said.
 

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inspected the flood situation on the Wainganga river bridge in Armori taluka of Gadchiroli district. DM Sanjay Meena and Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal briefed about the water level and measures.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has written a letter to 15 MLAs who continue to back him despite a rebellion in the party,  lauding them for their "loyalty" towards the 56-year-old organisation and not falling prey to any inducements or threats to switch sides.

In the letter dated July 6, Thackeray, who resigned as the chief minister of Maharashtra late last month following the rebellion,  said Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had always preached loyalty towards the party and that legislators who stayed back with him followed his teachings.

As a Shiv Sena MLA, you diligently followed his (Bal Thackeray's) teachings of loyalty. You did not fall prey to threats or inducements and remained loyal to the Shiv Sena. Maharashtra is proud of your stand and this will also strengthen the party, the letter said.

Gajanan Kirtikar, Shiv Sena MP, in a brief conversation with the media after the party meeting, said, "Droupadi Murmu is an NDA candidate but she belongs to the tribal community and is a woman. We should give her our support - this was the demand by all MPs (of the party). Uddhav Ji told us that he will tell us his decision in a day or two."

Republic learnt from sources that the 10 of the 22 Shiv Sena MPs who met supremo Uddhav Thackeray have demanded that the party supports Draupadi Murmu, the NDA candidate, in the Presidential elections scheduled for July 18. 

"To review the flood situation, along with CM Eknath Shinde, we have left from Mumbai, for visiting Gadchiroli district," tweets Maharashtra's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Deepak Kesarkar, the spokesperson of the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena, said that the rebel MLAs were ready to come back if the decision to leave NCP-Congress would've been made. Everyone in the party, including the MPs wanted an alliance with the BJP,' he said on a day, Uddhav Thackeray received another jolt as only 10 of 22 Shiv Sena parliamentarians attended the meeting called by him.

In a press briefing, Deepak Kesarkar, spokesperson of the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena said that they are ''not going to answer Uddhav Thackeray''. "It doesn't mean that we will not respond to other Sena leaders. If they make any derogatory remarks we will have to respond back to them," Kesarkar said. 

Ex-Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray received another jolt as only 10 out of 22 Shiv Sena parliamentarians attended the meeting called by him. This comes amid the demand from many Sena MPs to support NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu. 

The working committee of Maharashtra NCP will hold a meeting at the YB Chavan Centre at 11 am on July 12. Leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule will be present on the occasion. Discussions will be held on the preparations for local body polls. 

The car of Bharat Gogawale- the Chief whip of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction met with an accident on the freeway. Releasing a video, he confirmed that no one got injured and urged Shiv Sena workers to not worry. 

Sena MPs Sanjay Raut, Vinayak Raut, Rahul Shewale and Priyanka Chaturvedi reached party president Uddhav Thackeray's 'Matoshree' residence. They are likely to hold a discussion on the Presidential election.

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray wrote to 15 Shiv Sena MLAs, thanking them for their support during tough times, without surrendering to the pressure of threats or offers. He has also called for a meeting with all Shiv Sena MPs at his residence 'Matoshree,' today.

Appearing for the Uddhav Thackeray faction, senior advocate Kapil Sibal requested the bench led by CJI NV Ramana to list petitions related to the Maharashtra political crisis today itself. However, the CJI said, "I'm not listing the matter tomorrow as it requires some time". In the meanwhile, he asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was appearing for Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to tell Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar not to decide the disqualification pleas of the Shiv Sena MLAs until the matter is decided by the SC. 

Shiv Sena has removed MLA Santosh Bangar, who had joined the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, from the post of Hingoli district unit president. The Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' announced Bangar's removal from the post and said the action was initiated for anti-party activities. The action was taken on the order of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, the Marathi publication said. Bangar had joined the Shinde camp some hours before the floor test of the latter's government on July 4.

Speaking to the media, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut asserted that his party has full faith in the Indian judiciary. Maintaining that the Sena moved the SC over the injustice meted out to the 11 crore people of Maharashtra, he contended that the SC verdict will determine whether democracy prevails in the country or not. He reiterated that the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra is illegal and alleged that the Raj Bhavan was misused. 

The Uddhav Thackeray faction filed a plea in the SC demanding an early hearing of the pleas pertaining to the political upheaval in Maharashtra. It stressed, "That despite FOUR JUDICIAL ORDERS of this Hon’ble Court directing the matters to be listed on 11.07.2022, the said matters have not been listed by the Registry. It is pertinent to note that the disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule are fixed on 12.07.2022. If the Writ Petitions before this Hon’ble Court are not listed prior to 12.07.2022, it will result in a further complication on 12.07.2022 since, it is now the contention of Shri Sunil Prabhu, the petitioner in the disqualification proceedings, that given the incapacity of the newly elected speaker as well as his palpable bias, this
Hon’ble Court ought to decide on the issue of disqualification itself so as to prevent the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution from becoming a caricature at the hands of delinquent MLAs who have committed the constitutional sin of defection". 

On July 11, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a bunch of petitions pertaining to the political upheaval in Maharashtra triggered by the rebellion in Shiv Sena. The future of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government hinges on the verdict of the SC. The verdict will also have ramifications on the prospective fight for the 'bow & arrow' symbol of Shiv Sena.

Here are the petitions which will come up for hearing: 

1. Eknath Shinde & 15 other MLAs challenged the disqualification proceedings initiated against them and Shinde's replacement as the Legislative Party leader with Ajay Choudhari. The SC extended the time granted by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal to respond to the disqualification notice until July 12.

2. Uddhav Thackeray faction's chief whip Sunil Prabhu sought a stay on the floor test scheduled for June 30. The SC refused to interfere at that juncture after which the Shiv Sena president stepped down as the Chief Minister.

3. A day after Eknath Shinde took oath as the CM of Maharashtra, Prabhu filed an interlocutory application seeking the interim suspension of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs until the final adjudication of the disqualification proceedings against them. However, the SC denied any urgent relief on July 1.

4. Minutes before the vote of confidence on July 4, the Thackeray camp challenged newly-elected Speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision to reinstate Eknath Shinde as the Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader and replace Prabhu as the Chief Whip with Bharat Gogawale. Once again, the SC did not grant interim relief.

5. On July 8, the Uddhav Thackeray camp challenged the decision of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite Shinde to form the government citing that he and the rebels are liable to be disqualified as they haven't merged with any other party. They also urged the SC to quash the Speaker's election and vote of confidence which was conducted on July 3 and 4 respectively. 

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Principal Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat filed a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court. Seeking the disposal of the writ petition filed by the Eknath Shinde camp challenging the disqualification proceedings against them, he stressed, "That on July 3, the members of the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution electing Rahul Narwekar as the Honourable Speaker of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly which was passed by 164 votes". Accordingly, he held that the disqualification pleas will now be adjudicated by Narwekar. 

As per sources, a meeting of the BJP core committee is likely to take place today amid the SC hearing. This meeting might be held at Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis' 'Sagar' residence.

On July 3, the Eknath Shinde-led government received a big boost as BJP's Rahul Narwekar was elected as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly. While he polled 164 votes, only 107 MLAs voted in favour of MVA's candidate Rajan Salvi. A total of 11 MLAs including 7 NCP legislators were not present during the Assembly session when the voting took place. In another blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction, Narwekar reinstated the Maharashtra CM as the Sena's Legislative Party leader and approved the appointment of Bharat Gogawale as the party chief whip in the place of Sunil Prabhu. 

A day later, the state government won the vote of confidence. Apart from MLAs of BJP, Shiv Sena, smaller parties and Independents, the ruling coalition also secured the votes of Uddhav camp MLA Santosh Bangar and PWPI legislator Shyamsundar Shinde. This implies that 40 out of 55 Sena MLAs are now with the government. On the other hand, the opposition secured only 99 votes- 8 less than what it bagged in the Speaker's election a day earlier. 

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting of the party MPs at noon today to take a decision on the next week's presidential election. Some Shiv Sena MPs including Rahul Shewale and Rajendra Gavit had earlier asked the leadership to support Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate. In the past, the Sena had broken ranks with the NDA and supported the candidatures of Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee (both Congress leaders). The Sena left the NDA in 2019 as the party formed government with the Congress and NCP in Maharashtra after ditching the old ally BJP.