New Delhi, November 23
NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who struck up an alliance on Saturday morning with the BJP and was sworn-in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, is said to have support of 10-11 party MLAs, out of whom nine were flown to Delhi on a chartered flight.
The lawmakers who headed to the national capital were Daulat Daroda, Narhari Zirwar, Sunil Bhusara, Dilip Bankar, Anil Patil, Nitin Pawar, Sunil Shelke, Babasaheb Patil and Sanjay Banson. However, it is unclear where they will be lodged.
Earlier, the plan of action was to take them to Gujarat, but sources say they may now be moved to the state later.
This shifting of ‘rebel’ NCP MLAs shifting to Delhi takes place against the backdrop of the Congress decided to move its MLAs to Bhopal. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLAs too are likely to be moved to Jaipur from Mumbai.
In the 288-member Assembly, 145 is the magic figure. While the BJP has 105 MLAs on its own, it garnered almost 20 Independent and smaller party MLAs, immediately after the result threw a hung assembly and Sena remained insistent on a 50-50 power sharing formula. While BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the party will prove its majority on the floor of the house, many in the Congress are still suspecting that claim.
In a massive turn of events, on Saturday morning, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister along with Ajit Pawar as his deputy.
Shiv Sena shifts MLAs to Navi Mumbai hotel, Cong to Bhopal
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena has brought its 55 MLAs in a hotel in Navi Mumbai to avoid poaching.
According to a Shiv Sena source, 55 out of 56 MLAs have been brought at the Hotel Lalit in Navi Mumbai. All the legislators have been asked to submit their mobile phones and two MLAs are being allotted to a room to keep a close vigil on their movements.
Earlier in the day, the Congress took all its 44 MLAs to party-ruled Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal to avoid any poaching attempts. Party sources said former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior party leader Digvijaya Singh has been tasked to keep the legislators together.
Party source said keeping the MLAs together is crucial to defeat the BJP in the Assembly floor test in Maharashtra.
