Maharashtra crisis: BJP goes into huddle after Governor Koshyari orders floor test

Mumbai, Jun 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party has called a crucial meeting of BJP spokespersons at Taj President hotel in Mumbai amid the political crisis in Maharashtra. The meeting will be chaired by Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil.

The development comes after Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asked the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary to hold a floor test of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government at 11 am on Thursday.

The BJP, which is in wait and watch mode now is expecting Shinde camp of 50 MLAs camping in a Guwahati hotel, to make the first move by approaching Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

The political crisis in Maharashtra started when Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde, who has claimed the support of more than three dozen party MLAs, raised a banner of revolt against the Shiv Sena leadership.

The revolt in the Shiv Sena, which heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, has pushed the three-party ruling coalition, which also consists of the NCP and the Congress, into a deep crisis.

In a relief to rebel Shiv Sena lawmakers, the Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly till July 11 and sought responses to pleas by rebel MLAs questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification.

The top court, however, refused to pass any interim order on the plea of the Maharashtra government that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly and said they can always approach it in case of illegality.