Maharashtra political crisis: Eknath Shinde’s Sena makes next move, announces new national executive

CM Eknath Shinde at Mantralaya. File pic; (right Sanjay Raut

In another step to seize control of the Shiv Sena, the Eknath Shinde faction has declared its national executive, with the chief minister as the Mukhya Neta (chief leader). The announcement came on Monday. The group, however, has left the post of party president untouched.

The Uddhav Thackeray group resented the move, questioning the legal right of the Shinde faction to sack the existing national executive. The presidential position has not been touched though.

Ramdas Kadam, who quit the leader's position in the Thackeray group hours before being expelled from the party on Monday, has been made a leader (neta) by Shinde. Former MP Anand Adsul will also be a neta.

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Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrives at Vidhan Bhavan, on Monday. Pic/Twitter@mieknathshinde

MLA Deepak Kesarkar has been appointed as a spokesperson. Shinde chose the former BMC standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav, MLAs Gulabrao Patil, Uday Samant and Tanaji Sawant, actor/producer Sharad Ponkshe, former IAS officer Vijay Nahata and former MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil as Upa Neta (deputy leaders).

Thackeray faction's MP Sanjay Raut reacted sharply to the development. "This is Comedy Express Season 2. The first season happened in the state legislature. They are scared of the Supreme Court decision, and hence they are taking such illegal decisions to save their skin," he said in New Delhi.

Raut said the party was confident of a favourable decision in the SC, which will hear from July 20 the Thackeray faction's petition for disqualification of the rebel MLAs and other issues related to the government formation.

"They [the Shinde team] are not a registered party. They may be a group which does not have any authority to sack the existing national executive," said Raut. He also dismissed speculation that Shinde had the support of more than 14 Lok Sabha MPs.

"If there is any effort to form a separate group in Lok Sabha then they will be treated as defectors," said Raut.

Meanwhile, the Shinde group is learnt to have sent Mumbai MP Rahul Shewale's name for the post of parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, Shinde was scheduled to go to Delhi on Monday evening and return on Tuesday night.