Mumbai: The ruling allies of Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra — Congress and Sharad Pawar — have suggested that rebel Eknath Shinde be made the Chief Minister to wriggle out of the huge political crisis in the state, NDTV’s sources said.
In an emotional address, the current Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he won’t deviate from his father’s ideology but was ready to relinquish the chief minister’s position if any MLA was unhappy with him.
“If my own people don’t want me as Chief Minister, he should walk up to me and say so… I’m ready to resign… I am Balasaheb’s son, I am not after a post,” Uddhav Thackeray said via a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Thackeray tested positive for Covid on Wednesday. “I’m willing to step down, but can you promise me that the next chief minister will be from Shiv Sena?” he added.
Rebel Eknath Shinde also hit back and said it is “imperative” for Shiv Sena to break the “unnatural alliance” with Nationalist Congress Party and Congress to save the party and its workers.
Meanwhile, Thackeray was seen leaving his official residence “Varsha” and headed to his family home “Matoshree” in the western suburb of Bandra. Packed suitcases were loaded into cars.
However, three more Shiv Sena legislators reached Guwahati on a chartered flight. This took the total number of Sena MLAs currently in the Shinde camp to 33 among the 55 MLAs the party has. The ruling alliance though has claimed that 17 Sena MLAs are ready to return to Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai.
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