Maharashtra Political Crisis: Sharad Pawar Advises Uddhav Thackeray To Make Eknath Shinde CM
Maharashtra Political Crisis: Sharad Pawar was accompanied by his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule and party minister Jitendra Awhad in the meeting with Uddhav Thackeray.
Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra, NCP president Sharad Pawar met Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday and advised him to make rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister, sources told ABP News. Pawar was accompanied by his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule and party minister Jitendra Awhad and the meeting lasted for around an hour.
The meeting took place minutes after Thackeray addressed the public through Facebook Live and offered to quit as Maharashtra Chief Minister. Extending an olive branch to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said he would be happy if a Shiv Sainik succeeded him as CM.
Thackeray said he was ready to quit if any one of the rebel leaders declares that he doesn't want him to continue as CM.
"Why make statements from Surat (where rebels headed first on Monday night) and other places. Come and tell me on my face that I am incompetent to handle the post of Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president. I will resign immediately. I will keep my resignation letter ready and you can come and take it to the Raj Bhavan," Uddhav Thackeray said.
The rebellion by Shinde, who has claimed the support of 46 MLAs, has put a question mark on the stability of the MVA dispensation in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena has 55 members in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. The MVA government of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress together has 152 legislators.
Earlier in the day, Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs were flown to Guwahati in Assam from Surat, where they were camping since early Tuesday.