In response to the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the conflict between the two warring factions of the Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray categorically requested the immediate resignations of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The former governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, was strongly criticised by Uddhav for his conduct, and he claimed that the Supreme Court had deemed his demand for a floor test from the Uddhav Thackeray administration to be “unjustified.” However, the court was unable to restore Uddhav’s government because of his earlier resignation without taking the floor test.
Uddhav emphasised the necessity of taking suitable action against Koshyari and insisted on keeping him responsible for his deeds. He emphasised that Speaker Rahul Narvekar had been given authority by the Supreme Court to decide whether to disqualify 16 rebel Sena MLAs and he urged him to act quickly.
In light of recent events, Uddhav seriously questioned the viability of the governor system and expressed his deep concern over the way in which the governors of Delhi and Maharashtra have been used for political purposes.
When questioned about his choice to retire rather than face the floor test, Uddhav vehemently maintained his position, claiming that he saw no moral need to show his majority to “traitors” who had abandoned him and his father’s party. He called the rebel MLAs traitors and flatly refused to submit to a motion of no confidence brought by them.
Uddhav steadfastly insisted that only the Shiv Sena had the authority to issue party whip in respect to the topic of disqualification, notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s order to send the matter to Speaker Rahul Narvekar. He said that the court’s rejection of the Shinde faction MLA Bharat Gogawale’s nomination as chief whip established that only the Shiv Sena’s whip would be regarded as legitimate.
The Election Commission’s choice to designate the Shinde-led faction with the party name and symbol as the legitimate Shiv Sena was also harshly criticised by Uddhav. He angrily asserted that the panel lacked the jurisdiction to remove the party’s name and that this decision was therefore unlawful.