Trouble mounts for Uddhav Thackeray, more Shiv Sena MLAs to join Eknath Shinde faction soon

Maharashtra minister Sandipan Bhumre claimed that "two to three" MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction are expected to join the group of Eknath Shinde.

New Delhi: There seems to be no end to the woes of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as more of his MLAs are likely to join the Eknath Shinde faction in the coming days. Speaking to a Marathi news channel, Maharashtra minister Sandipan Bhumre on Monday (August 29, 2022) claimed that "two to three" MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction are expected to join the group of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He, however, refused to divulge the names of those expected to jump ship and join Shinde.

"Two three MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction are in touch with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. I won't mention names but can say they are from Konkan and Marathwada," Bhumre.

He also claimed that almost all chiefs of district units of the Shiv Sena, barring one or two, were in touch with the Shinde faction and "would keep joining" from here on.

A rebellion by Eknath Shinde and 39 of 55 MLAs of the Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June.

After the collapse of the MVA government, Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is the Deputy Chief Minister in the new government.

(With agency inputs)