Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said he had "heard" that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been asked to resign and asserted that the rebels who broke his party "now know their true worth".
Thackeray pointed out that portfolios have not been allocated despite nine Nationalist Congress Party MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, being inducted into the state government nearly a week ago on July 2.
"I have heard that the CM has been asked to resign. Things may have changed,” Thackeray claimed in an apparent reference to the NCP faction joining the government. "The original gaddars (traitors) now know their true worth," Thackeray said referring to the 40 Sena MLAs under Shinde who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in June last and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Incidentally, Thackeray and several Shiv Sena (UBT) party leaders have claimed some MLAs from the Shinde camp were sending feelers to return to the Uddhav Thackeray fold. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena has maintained he will continue to be CM despite the NCP joining the state government, which also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ajit Pawar on July 2 led a vertical split in the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and was made deputy CM in the Shinde government. Eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif, were sworn in as ministers.
