Rebel Sena MLA Deepak Kersarkar said that a new group 'Shiv Sena Balasaheb' has been formed by the Eknath Shinde camp, news agency ANI reported. Kersarkar is the former MoS home. Shinde's group of dissident legislators has been trying to appropriate the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, and often invokes the late leader. "We will never cheat for power and never abandon the teachings of Bal Thackeray," Shinde had said after his defection.
At the same time, security has been tightened in Mumbai, with Section 144 imposed in the city.
The Shiv Sena has sent the names of four rebel MLAs to the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker for initiating action of disqualification against them, a senior leader said. The party will also issue notices to 16 MLAs of the rebel faction and ask them to respond by Monday, Sena MP Arvind Sawant said on Friday.
The four legislators whose names were forwarded to the deputy speaker were Sanjay Raymulkar, Chiman Patil, Ramesh Bornare and Balaji Kalyankar. "Despite issuing a letter to them, none of them attended party meeting on Wednesday evening here in Mumbai," Sawant said. The party has already given names of 12 MLAs to the deputy speaker including leader of the rebel camp Eknath Shinde, seeking their disqualification. "Now, only chief minister Uddhav Thackeray can decide about allowing their return to Sena, otherwise party doors are closed for them forever. They have betrayed the saffron flag," Sawant said.
