The fight over control of the Shiv Sena Legislative Party has entered a decisive stage this week with the Eknath Shinde camp moving the Supreme Court. At 10.30 am today, the SC will hear his plea seeking a stay on the disqualification proceedings against the rebels and the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Legislative Party leader. The survival of the MVA government depends on the verdict. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala will hear the petitions today.
Shiv Sena yesterday fielded senior Supreme Court lawyer Devadatt Kamat to argue that the parent party led by Uddhav Thackeray had powers to disqualify rebel MLAs. The rebel MLAs were getting wrong advice that they could exist as a separate group while supporting a BJP government, Kamat said, adding the rebels would be disqualified as per existing provisions of the anti-defection law. Amid the ongoing political crisis and threats by Shiv Sena leaders, BJP's Mumbai unit held organizational meetings of party workers across all Assembly constituencies in Mumbai. Meetings were held in 35 out of 36 Mumbai constituencies on June 26. This includes Worli, Sion, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Malabar hill, Bhandup, Vikhroli, and Sewri in the presence of BJP leaders Nitesh Rane, Ashish Shelar, Manoj Kotak, etc. Today, a meeting will be held in the Colaba constituency in the presence of BJP MLA Rahul Narvekar.