Maharashtra: 53 out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs served showcause notices, asked to reply in one week; Aaditya not on list

Maharashtra legislature’s principal secretary Rajendra Bhagwat has issued showcause notices to 53 out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs — 39 from Eknath Shinde’s camp and 14 from Team Thackeray, reports Times of India. 

Bhagwat issued notices to 53 of all 55 MLAs under the Members of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Grounds of Defection) Rules. The legislators have been asked to reply within seven days. 

Both camps have accused each other of defying the whip during the speaker’s election and the trust vote on July 3 and 4 and sought their disqualification. Aaditya Thackeray’s name does not figure on the list given by Shinde’s camp. 

For the floor test in July 4, the Shinde faction’s chief whip Bharat Gogawale had issued a one-line whip to all the Sena legislators, directing them to vote in favour of the motion, while Team Thackeray’s chief whip Sunil Prabhu too had directed all the Sena legislators not to vote in favour of the government. 

In the 288-member Assembly (effective strength 287), 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence moved by the Shinde-led government, way above the simple majority mark of 144, while 99 voted against it.

As many as 263 MLAs cast their vote. Three MLAs abstained, while 20 legislators, most of them from Congress and the NCP, including Congress’s Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar, both former ministers, were absent during the trust vote. Speaker Rahul Narvekar, who presided over the proceedings, did not cast his vote. 

According to the notice issued by Bhagwat, all 53 legislators have been directed to submit their statements, along with relevant documents, before the Speaker within seven days. If there is no response, it will be assumed that the legislator has no submissions to make.