Uddhav Thackeray resigned as Maharashtra chief minister, minutes after Supreme Court refused to stay Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's direction to his government to take a floor test in the Assembly. The resignation of Thackeray (62) capped a week-long drama of resort politics, where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by minister Eknath Shinde camped in luxury hotels and hopped on chartered jets from Mumbai to Surat and Guwahati, before landing in Goa on Wednesday night. Thackeray said he was hurt by the rebellion in his party and announced that he has also decided to quit as a member of the state Legislative Council. Accompanied by sons Aaditya and Tejas, he drove to Raj Bhavan and handed over his resignation letter as CM to Koshyari around midnight. The Governor accepted his resignation, an official said. Thackeray's sudden announcement, which came on a day Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said he will fight till the end, paves way for the return of a BJP-led dispensation in the state, two and a half years after the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government came to power. Following is the party position in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly: Shiv Sena 55, NCP 53, Congress 44, BJP 106, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3, Samajwadi Party 2, AIMIM 2, Prahar Janshakti Party 2, MNS 1, CPI (M) 1, PWP 1, Swambhimani Paksha 1, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1, Jansurajya Shakti Party 1, Krantikari Shetkari Party 1, and Independents 13. There is a vacancy due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month. Of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 39 rebelled against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government along with 10 independents. Two NCP members - Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal - have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators - Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik - are currently in jail.
(Edited by : Priyanka Rathi)
First Published: IST