Maharashtra crisis: Eknath Shinde camp at Kamakhya, may leave for Mumbai soon

Mumbai, Jun 29: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with four other Maharashtra MLAs was spotted at a Guwahati temple this morning.

Shinde told reporters outside the temple that he will return to Mumbai on Thursday to "complete the formalities". Implying he would participate in moves to form a new government.

He along with two more MLAs from the western state visited the temple atop Neelachal hill on the bank of Brahmaputra early morning.

Shinde and his colleagues were accompanied by Assam BJP MLA Sushanta Borgohain, who has been with them since the dissidents landed at Guwahati airport.

"I visited the Kamakhya temple for happiness and prosperity of Maharashtra. I seek blessings of Maa Kamakhya," Shinde told reporters outside the temple.

When asked about his next step, the rebel leader said: "We will return to Mumbai tomorrow to complete the necessary formalities."

In what seems to be an apparent bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, dissident legislators of Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling coalition, along with some Independents have been camping in Guwahati, around 2,700 km away from Mumbai, since June 22.

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 current political crisis is triggered after MLA Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs before shifting to Guwahati. He has claimed to have 40 MLAs with him, thus achieving the two-thirds majority in the Shiv Sena.

In the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the mid-way mark is 144. However, the current strength is 287 following the demise of one Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke of Mumbai.