Rebel Sena MLAs jubilate at Goa resort, hail new CM

Panaji: Euphoria prevailed among Maharashtra’s rebel Shiv Sena legislators, who have been put up at a starred resort in Goa, after their leader Eknath Shinde was declared the next chief minister of Maharashtra. A video of the MLAs jubilantly dancing to a Marathi song was widely shared on social media platforms on Thursday, even as the group extended their stay in Goa.
Shinde had held a meeting with the rebel MLAs in Goa before he departed for Mumbai on Thursday to meet Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to form the new government.
When Fadnavis announced Shinde as the new chief minister of Maharashtra, the rebel MLAs went into a rapture, dancing and screaming to the beats of Marathi songs. The atmosphere was electric as they wound their way through most parts of the resort, including the lobby and banquet hall, chanting, “Shinde tum aage badho, hum tumhare saath hai (Shinde, you progress ahead. We are with you).” The celebration lasted for over two hours.
Among the revellers was Shiv Sena’s Kalyan MP and Shinde’s son, Shrikant, who teared up no sooner was his father declared the new chief minister of Maharashtra. “I am very happy,” he said when asked how he felt upon hearing the news. Shrikant subsequently departed for Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the rebel MLAs clarified that they had not celebrated the resignation of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who decided to quit on Wednesday after he was cornered by a large faction of his own party.
“We are not happy with Thackeray’s resignation,” Shinde said. “Considering the circumstances, all 50 MLAs had just one demand — that we should take the Hindutva dream of Balasaheb (Thackeray) forward. Had an appropriate decision been taken at the right time, all this wouldn’t have happened.”
Earlier in the day, spokesperson of the rebel Shiv Sena group, Deepak Kesarkar, said they were sad they had to fight Thackeray, but would always have the same respect for him.
He also said the group has authorised Shinde to hold discussions with BJP and take appropriate decisions in the interest of Maharashtra, including finalising how many cabinet berths the rebel MLAs would get. “We have come together for the sake of Maharashtra’s development and do not have any demands. Of our 50 MLAs, six were ministers,” Kesarkar said.
Shiv Sena will finalise a common minimum programme with BJP to run the Maharashtra government. The two parties, however, are yet to discuss which legislators will make it to the cabinet.
Reacting to a statement by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut that the rebel legislators had back-stabbed the Thackeray-led government, Kesarkar said, “The same thing could have been said when Shiv Sena severed ties with its natural ally, BJP, and formed the government with Congress and NCP. The people had mandated that BJP and Shiv Sena form the government, not Congress and NCP.”
Kesarkar also said Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya should not spend much time with Raut and should instead continue to be in touch with the party’s workers and work towards becoming a prominent leader one day.