Mumbai: Sanjay Raut on Monday challenged the Maharashtra Governor to "come and watch" for himself, an exhibit of 162 MLAs organized by the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress in a 5-star hotel in Mumbai at 7 pm today. The three-party alliance, which calls itself the "Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi", summoned their MLAs to a hotel after they staked claim to the government in Maharashtra.


"We are all one and together , watch our 162 together for the first time at grand Hyatt at 7 pm , come and watch yourself, Maharashtra Governor (sic)," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut tweeted.


The move was announced hours after the leaders of the three parties submitted a letter to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari claiming that they have the requisite numbers to form the government in the state.

According to sources of news agency PTI, the NCP MLAs, who were staying at Hotel Renaissance in Powai area, were moved to Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz and Sofitel in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The Congress legislators are still put up in J W Marriott hotel in suburban Andheri. The MLAs of the Shiv Sena were moved to hotel Lemon Tree in Santacruz from Hotel Lalit near the Mumbai international airport.

A Sena leader told reporters outside hotel Grand Hyatt on Monday evening that they were directed to keep a close watch on BJP leaders to "defeat any potential poaching efforts".

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court while hearing the petition of the three parties, on Monday, said it will pass its order at 10.30 am on Tuesday on the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine's plea against the Maharashtra governor's decision to swear in Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister.

A bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna is likely to pass an order on holding of a floor test. The combine was pressing that the floor test be ordered today itself which was opposed by Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.