Mr Thackeray called an emergency meeting this afternoon, but the low turnout meant it was not a powerful show of force; he has dismissed Mr Shinde as Chief Whip, a key party position; Mr Shinde, for his part, has altered his Twitter bio to remove a reference to his Shiv Sena membership.
Ø
Mr Shinde is currently taking refuge at a resort in Surat,
Gujarat. Mr Shinde, who is sulking in a Surat hotel, is surrounded by two Sena
leaders. The fact that the G-22 he leads is being held in a BJP-ruled state
exposes the rebellion's behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. Chandrakant Patil, the
Maharashtra BJP president, stated that the party is open to forming a
government with Mr Shinde.
Ø
Mr Thackeray called an emergency meeting this afternoon, but the
low turnout meant it was not a powerful show of force; he has dismissed Mr
Shinde as Chief Whip, a key party position; Mr Shinde, for his part, has
altered his Twitter bio to remove a reference to his Shiv Sena membership.
Ø
Mr Pawar put together Mr Thackeray's government in 2019, which
consisted of three parties: the Sena, the Congress, and Sharad Pawar's NCP. Mr
Pawar said the situation is "an internal matter of the Sena," but
that he remains totally committed to the three-party administration, despite
suspicions about his own role and if he may have played a role in it.
Ø
Mr Pawar also said that he will fly to Bombay this evening to
meet Mr Thackeray; earlier today, he was a key figure at a massive Opposition
rally in Delhi that chose Yashwant Sinha, the former Finance Minister, as its
presidential candidate.
Ø
The crisis in Maharashtra reportedly owes much to Devendra
Fadnavis, the former Chief Minister from the BJP, who is in Delhi today and met
with party boss Amit Shah. Mr Fadnavis is seen as having facilitated Mr
Shinde's relocation to Surat.
Ø
The crisis, however, was reportedly triggered by a reprimand
from Mr Thackeray to Mr Shinde last night after Sena MLAS cross-voted for the
BJP in key elections yesterday. Their action meant that the BJP won five of a
total of 10 seats (its own numbers entitled the party to four seats; the
cross-voting allowed a bonus seat).
Ø
Mr Shinde has however been smarting over the increasing
importance within the Sena of Sanjay Raut, who is seen as a key aide of Mr
Thackeray. Today as well, it was Mr Raut who led the PR campaign for the Sena,
describing the crisis as one that would be defused and Mr Shinde as "a
Sena loyalist."
Ø
In order to unseat Mr Thackeray and win a vote of confidence,
the BJP will need 37 MLAs in addition to its own 106. Mr Thackeray's government
is perilously close to achieving a majority without the G-22, with 133 votes
(the Sena has 34 without the G-22)
Ø
The G-22 of the Sena, a moniker coined for dissenters inside the
Congress party, consists of five ministers, all of whom are currently in Surat.
Ø
Mr. Shinde is a Thane-based mass leader who also serves as the
Minister of Urban Development and
Public Works.
