The Supreme Court, in an important verdict, observed that the Maharashtra Governor's decision to conduct a floor test to solve intra-party disputes was wrong.

news Politics Thursday, May 11, 2023 - 15:03
Written by  IANS
Edited by  TNM Staff

After the Supreme Court observed that the Maharashtra Governor's decision to conduct a floor test to solve intra-party disputes was wrong, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday, May 11, that the verdict exposed the roles of the Governor and the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the illegal formation of the current regime. The court also stated that the Assembly Speaker was wrong to appoint the party whip from the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, but that it cannot order the restoration of the Uddhav Thackeray government as he resigned without facing a floor test after Shinde’s move to depart Shiv Sena and split the party. 

“In view of the judgement, if the present government has any morality left, then it should forthwith resign, just as I had tendered my resignation (in June 2022),” said Thackeray, in his first reaction to the much-awaited verdict. He said that the apex court judgement has also laid bare the role of the (then) Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and how his office was misused, “which is what we have been saying all along.”

Uddhav further stated that the ECI is not a “divine body” and it cannot just “take away the name-symbol” of the (Shiv Sena) party founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray. He said that even the Shiv Sena decision on its Whip (Sunil Prabhu) was upheld and the Shinde faction's Whip (Bharat Gogawale) was upheld by the SC. “We shall now request the Speaker (Rahul Narwekar) to take the decision on the disqualification of the 16 MLAs as soon as possible,” said Thackeray.

Senior leader Anil Parab said that as per the SC verdict, the Speaker must convene a session of the legislature and pronounce his decision on the disqualification of 16 MLAs, including Shinde, and said the government will collapse soon.

Earlier, the Sena (UBT) Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut, MP, said that this means that considering all aspects of the verdict, the present "illegal" Shinde government of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party should immediately resign on moral grounds.