New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, another Shiv Sena minister, Uday Samant, reached Guwahati on Sunday and joined the rebel camp led by senior leader Eknath Shinde. The Maharashtra Cabinet Minister for Higher and Technical Education, who had gone incommunicado during the day, reached Guwahati from Surat, a report by news agency PTI said. According to sources, Samant came aboard a chartered flight and landed at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport with three others.
Later, Samant’s convoy, escorted by Assam Police, was seen entering the Radisson Blu Hotel off NH-37, where the rebel Sena MLAs are currently staying.
So far, Maharashtra cabinet ministers Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sandipan Bhumre, and ministers of state Shamburaje Desai and Abdul Sattar have joined the rebel camp.
As per report, another minister, Bachu Kadu of Prahar Janshakti Party, and an Independent Minister from Sena quota, Rajendra Yedravkar, have also been camping with Shinde.
READ | Maharashtra Political Crisis | Eknath Shinde’s Camp Moves SC Against Disqualification Notice
Amid the political tussle, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said that the party has initiated legal action and has served notices to the rebels.
“Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now,” news agency ANI quoted Sawant as saying.
Meanwhile, the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs moved the Supreme Court on Sunday against the disqualification notice issued against them. A vacation bench of the apex court will hear Shinde’s plea against the disqualification notice on Monday, PTI reported.
Notably, a group of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, led by Shinde, were taken to Surat from Mumbai on June 21 and then flown to Guwahati the next day.