SC to hear Shiv Sena's plea challenging floor test today
What's the story
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's direction to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government to prove majority on Thursday. The Sena camp said that the governor's order was illegal as 16 rebel MLAs were yet to respond to the disqualification notice. The SC will hear the matter at 5 pm.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Maharashtra has been witnessing major political crisis after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's trusted lieutenant Eknath Shinde staged a rebellion last week. He was not happy with the Sena joining hands with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Shinde is also joined by over 38 Sena MLAs who have been camping in Assam's Guwahati.
Political impasse
Governor asks MVA to prove majority on floor of House
Terming the current political impasse in the state "very disturbing," Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asked the Maharashtra government to prove its majority on the floor of the House on Thursday. Notably, this came after former CM and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis visited the governor on Tuesday night after returning from Delhi and submitted a letter to him demanding an immediate floor test.
Reports
7 independent MLAs wrote email to governor
To note, the official email id of Raj Bhavan reportedly received an email dated June 28 from seven independent MLAs stating that the chief minister had "lost the confidence of the majority on the floor of the House." The governor's notification stated, "As the constitutional head of the State. I must ensure that the Government functions with the support and confidence of the House."
Rebel MLAs
Rebel MLAs likely to reach Goa
Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs visited the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati on Wednesday morning. They will now be shifted to Goa for a day and then flown to Mumbai on Thursday before the floor test at 11 am. They are expected to reach Goa's Taj Convention Hotel by 4.30 pm, where 71 rooms have been booked for them.