Mumbai: The political temperature has risen in Maharashtra ahead of the crucial verdict by the assembly speaker on the cross-petitions by Shiv Sena factions seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs following a split in the party. The outcome will decide the way forward for the Eknath Shinde government and also the regional outfit's rival groups.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar is slated to deliver his much-awaited verdict on the disqualification pleas at 4 pm on Wednesday, more than 18 months after the Shiv Sena suffered a vertical split, a political development that resulted in a change of guard in the state.
On Tuesday, the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) upped the ante as its president Uddhav Thackeray said his party has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court objecting to a recent meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is among the MLAs whose disqualification has been sought, and speaker Rahul Narwekar as both sides engaged in a verbal spat.
The speaker met Shinde at `Varsha', the chief minister's official residence in south Mumbai, on Sunday. Thackeray noted that the two had met in October last year too.
"If the judge (Narwekar) is going to meet the accused, what should we expect from that judge," Thackeray asked, speaking to the media at his residence `Matoshree' here. The affidavit before the SC was filed on Monday, the former CM said.
Thackeray's ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar also said that when someone who is hearing a case meets the person against whom the case is being heard, it "leaves room for doubt". Hitting back, Narwekar said Thackeray should know for what purposes a speaker could meet a chief minister.
Meanwhile, Narwekar retorted stating, "If he still levels such allegations, then his motive is very clear. There is no rule that a speaker, while hearing disqualification pleas, cannot do any other work."
Earlier on Tuesday late night, a meeting was held between Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadwanis and Ajit Pawar, newly elected Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar at the Chief Minister's Varsha residence.
A Cabinet meeting will be held on Tuesday. After this meeting, the Chief Minister will go on a pre-planned visit to Hingoli in the afternoon. After today's result, the reaction from both factions of Shiv Sena will also be very important.
What happens next?
But what happens after the verdict? If today's result goes against Shinde, will the government collapse? Will Eknath Shinde have to resign as Chief Minister if 16 MLAs from his group are disqualified? If the decision goes against Shinde, will the party and symbol awarded to him by the Election Commission be taken away from him again? Many such questions are going to depend on today's result. That's why the whole country is paying attention to this result.