Maharashtra Crisis: Rebel MLAs reach Mumbai hotel from Goa, Eknath Shinde accompanies them back

Maharashtra: The rebel Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLAs and Independents, who were earlier taken to Goa from Guwahati hotel, were on Saturday taken to a grand hotel in South Mumbai amid massive security as they returned to the city from Goa in a special flight in the night, PTI reported quoting Mumbai police said. As many as 50 MLAs, who supported the Eknath Shinde camp, including 39 rebel legislators of the Shiv Sena, were transferred to the Mumbai hotel. They flew to Mumbai in a chartered flight. Shinde, who had flown to Goa in the morning, accompanied them back. The Maharashtra rebellion was triggered after Eknath Shinde with other MLAs to oust the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA alliance.

Their flight landed at the Mumbai airport around 8 pm nearly 50 minutes after it took off from Dabolim airport in Goa.

A posse of police personnel was deployed along the route between the airport and the starred hotel in south Mumbai to ensure the smooth movement of buses carrying the MLAs escorted by Mumbai Police, officials said.

Traffic was halted for some time when the buses left the airport.

The chief minister travelled in one of the buses carrying the MLAs, officials added.

A special two-day session of the state legislature will begin on Sunday which will see the election for the post of Assembly Speaker as well as a floor test of the new government.

Eknath Shinde to prove majority this week

Eknath Shinde on Thursday took oath as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister, while BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis became the Deputy CM of the state. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has convened a Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly on July 3-4 where a `vote of confidence' in the new government on Monday (July 4), according to officials.

The Shinde group has claimed the support of around 40 Shiv Sena MLAs plus 10 independents and others, besides the Bharatiya Janata Party`s 106 MLAs, well above the required 145 mark in the 288-member house.

(With IANS inputs)