Sena-NCP-Cong to 'parade' 162 MLAs in Mumbai hotel

Locked in a protracted power tussle with the BJP in Maharashtra the Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Shiv Sena NCP and Congress have decided to parade 162 MLAs in a Mumbai fivestar hotel on Monday evening in a show of united strength 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 governmentWe Are 162 displayed at the hotel where all the SenaNCPCongress MLAs have gathered for the parade PictureAshish RaneIn a related development on Monday the Supreme Court has said it will pass an order at 1030 am on Tuesday on the plea filed by the SenaNCPCongress combine against the state governors decision to swearin Devendra Fadnavis as CM on November 23 A bench comprising justices N V Ramana Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna is likely to pass an order on holding of a floor testWe are all one and together watch our 162 together for the first time at grand Hyatt at 7 pm come and watch yourself maha_governor pictwittercomhUSS4KoS7Bmdash Sanjay Raut rautsanjay61 November 25 2019Announcing parading the MLAs on his tweeter handle Sena MP Sanjay Raut has appealed to the governor to witness the assembling of the legislators of the three parties at 7 pm We are all one and together watch our 162 together for the first time at Grand Hyatt at 7 pm come and watch yourself maha_governor Raut tweeted He tagged the governors official twitter handle maha_governorMeanwhile an NCP leader said the move to parade the MLAs is aimed at turning the public perception towards us Once we parade the 162 MLAs in one hall the entire nation will come to know that the BJP is playing a dirty game in Maharashtra by misusing the office of the governor he said The MLAs of the Sena the NCP and the Congress were shifted to different hotels in Mumbai on the night of November 23 hours after senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar in a surprise move joined hands with the BJPAfter Ajit Pawar submitted a letter to the governor claiming that he has the support of NCP MLAs the Presidents Rule which was in force in the state since November 12 was lifted on early Saturday Subsequently the governor administered the oath to Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP as the chief minister and Ajit Pawar as the deputy chief minister In a retaliatory move the NCP on Saturday evening removed Ajit Pawar as the legislature leader of the party depriving him of power to issue a whip to NCP MLAs during the floor testIn the letter submitted to the government the Maha Vikas Aghadi the postpoll alliance formed by the Sena Congress and NCP claimed it has the majority whereas Fadnavisled government lacks required numbers Once Fadnavis fails to prove his majority during the floor test the Shiv Senas claim for government formation should be considered the parties said in the letter The BJP has dubbed the letter bogus claiming that technically Ajit Pawar is still the leader of the NCPs legislature wing who has extended support to the BJPMeanwhile the Sena the NCP and the Congress are guarding flocks of their MLAs at three hotels in suburban Mumbai Cadres of the Sena and the NCP are maintaining a tight vigil outside the three hotels where police personnel are deployed in large numbers According to sources the NCP MLAs who were staying at Hotel Renaissance in Powai area were moved to Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz and Sofitel in BandraKurla Complex BKCThe 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 In the last months Assembly polls the BJP won 105 seats the Shiv Sena 56 the NCP 54 and the Congress 44According to sources Independent legislators and other MLAs could tilt the scales in favour of either the BJP led government of Fadnavis backed by Ajit Pawar or the SenaCongressNCP combine during the floor testCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates