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Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, 8 July, moved the Supreme Court challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to invite rebel Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to form the government in the state.
The Uddhav-led Sena faction has also challenged the Assembly speaker’s election and the floor test that proved the rebel camp's majority. The Thackeray camp has argued that the floor test was illegal since 16 rebel MLAs who voted were facing disqualification.
The top court will hear the plea of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on 11 July.
The former Maharashtra CM also demanded fresh elections to be conducted in the state.
"I challenge them to hold Assembly elections today. If we have done wrong, people will send us home. And if this is what you had to do, then you should have done it two and half years ago, and it would have been done respectfully. There would be no need for all this to happen," Thackeray was reported as saying by NDTV.
He also said that he would not permit anybody to take the traditional bow and arrow party symbol away from the Shiv Sena.
Eknath Shinde had taken oath as the new chief minister amid chants of 'Balasaheb Thackeray,' while BJP leader Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on 30 June.
On 4 July, the rebel camp had received 164 votes in the 288-member Assembly, sailing through the majority mark of 144. Meanwhile, only 99 MLAs voted against it.
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Published: 08 Jul 2022,08:26 AM IST