November 21, 2024

Thackeray Resigns As Supreme Court Offers No Relief On Floor Test

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-06-30 02:54:08

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

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After nine days of braving it out (some reports say he was ready to resign twice during the rebel crisis but was prevented from doing so by Sharad Pawar), Uddhav Thackeray resigned as Maharashtra chief minister just minutes after the Supreme Court refused to stop the floor test ordered by state governor B S Koshyari. Outnumbered and outwitted by the rebels led by his one time confidante Eknath Shinde, Thackeray chose to bow out gracefully rather than prolong the drama by going through the floor test which he was sure to lose. With just 16 MLAs on his side, Thackeray will now have to fight to keep the party started by his father Balasaheb Thackeray in the family fold. By all accounts, the rebels have the numbers to take control of the party and become the ‘real’ Shiv Sena, with BJP’s support and the administration on their side as they will be part of any new government that is formed.

There was enough drama on Wednesday to keep everyone on the tenterhooks. The rebels left their hotel in Guwahati with reports suggesting they were headed to the airport for onward journey to Mumbai. But plans were changed and they went back to the hotel after a visit to Maa Kamakhya temple. Later in the day they went to Goa. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard the plea opposing the floor test from 5pm and after the arguments were concluded, pronounced its verdict a few minutes after 9pm. Shortly thereafter, Thackeray announced his resignation doing away with the need to hold the floor test.

The rebels will now land in Mumbai amidst tight security and the BJP will stake claim to form the government. It is most likely that Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in as Maharashtra’s new chief minister with Eknath Shinde as his deputy in a couple of days, or Sunday as the BJP had predicted earlier. One of the first tasks of the new government will be to elect a Speaker of the house as the assembly is without a Speaker for many months now. That will also be necessary to call back the disqualification notices sent to the rebels who will now be recognized as a separate block. If the BJP-rebel Shiv Sena nominee is elected as the Speaker, it will prove their majority. Alternately, the governor might direct the new government to prove its majority on the floor of the house before the Speaker is elected.

Although the BJP has managed to divide the Shiv Sena and will form the government, the entire episode has shown how the entire political class is willing to subvert laws and due process to either remain in office or topple an existing government. Further, any new government that is formed will not have it easy as the Shiv Sena feud will most likely spill over to the streets now. Just because the MLAs have deserted Uddha Thackeray does not mean that the Shiv Sainiks are also with the rebels. There will be an ugly battle within the Shiv Sena for gaining control of the party and it will be tough for the new government to control the situation.