Eknath Shinde confident to take floor test, Rebel MLA verbally attacks Thackeray

Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said he has the support of 50 MLAs and more independent MLAs. He claimed the rebel camp can pass "any floor test".

He was visiting the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati for the second time in one day. The rebel leader asserted that he has the support of over two-thirds of the legislators and is not worried about the floor test.

Shinde added that "nobody can stop us" and noted that the majority are the most important in the democratic system. "No one needs to go beyond the Constitution and rule of the country. It is for Maharashtra's progress and Hindutva's progress. The majority is with us," he further said.

Speaking about the future of the Maharashtra government, Shinde said they will sit and decide the course of action tomorrow after the floor test. He was answering a question about whether the dissidents intend to support the BJP and form an alternative government.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority in the Assembly tomorrow. The Sena has approached the Supreme Court challenging the order.

Rebel Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil in an open verbal attack said that CM Thackeray has left 52 Shiv Sena MLAs and his official residence but refuses to leave the NCP chief Sharad Pawar. He added that the rebel MLAs are not opportunists and did everything for Shiv Sena.

The rebel camp has been asking Shiv Sena leadership to break the alliance with the NCP and Congress. The three parties together have formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The ongoing rebellion has threatened the existence of the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government. The rebel camp wants the Sena to form an alliance with the BJP for the sake of Hindutva. Shinde also called the current alliance "unnatural".

Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to the rebel legislators to come to the party and talk to him.