Maharashtra political crisis: Will go to Mumbai on Thursday for floor test, says Shiv Sena Rebel MLA Eknath Shinde

Eknath Shinde. File Pic

Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde along with other dissident MLAs on Wednesday morning visited the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati and offered prayers.

Shinde along with other rebel Shiv Sena MLAs have been camping in Guwahati for over a week now, triggering a political crisis in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Shinde told reporters outside the temple that he will return to Mumbai on Thursday to "complete the formalities", implying he would participate in moves to form a new government.

Shinde and his colleagues were accompanied by Assam BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain, who has been with them since the dissidents landed at Guwahati airport.

"I visited the Kamakhya temple for happiness and prosperity of Maharashtra. I seek blessings of Maa Kamakhya," Shinde told reporters outside the temple.

When asked about his next step, the rebel leader said: "We will return to Mumbai tomorrow to complete the necessary formalities."

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked him to face a floor test and prove the majority by convening a special session of the state legislature at 11am on June 30. According to the letter the floor test should conclude by 5 pm.

In what seems to be an apparent bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, dissident legislators of Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling coalition, along with some Independents have been camping in Guwahati, around 2,700 km away from Mumbai, since June 22.