Shiv Sena removes Eknath Shinde as Legislative party leader

The Shiv Sena has decided to remove Eknath Shinde as its Legislative party leader and Sewri MLA Ajay Chaudhary will be the new Shiv Sena Legislative party leader, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

Shinde, who hails from Thane district and is the urban development minister, and other MLAs are said to be holed up in a five-star hotel in Surat. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government (MVA) suffered a back-to-back defeat in the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls and Monday's Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.

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"The Congress president has deputed Kamal Nath as All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer in the wake of recent political developments in the state, with immediate effect," said an official communication from the Congress.

The Congress shares power with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena in the MVA government in Maharashtra.

Senior Shiv Sena leader and minister Shinde went incommunicado, a day after the MVA suffered a setback in the state Legislative Council polls by losing one out of the six seats it contested.

The development could rattle the MVA as some Sena MLAs are believed to be in touch with Shinde.

Also Read | Eknath Shinde: From humble beginnings to top leader

However, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut asserted that the "Sena is a party of loyalists and attempts by the BJP, like in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, to topple the MVA government would not succeed".

He also said Shinde was a "trusted Shiv Sainik", and that the "missing" MLAs will be back after the party is able to reach out to them.

Earlier in the day, a Sena leader said Shinde, who wields influence in some of the satellite cities of Mumbai, may be in Gujarat along with some MLAs. The leader did not divulge the number of MLAs who could be with Shinde and their details.