GUWAHATI: With the arrival of two more Shiv Sena MLAs from Surat and with the blessings of “a big national party,” rebel leader Eknath Shinde and his men have positioned themselves to take their own decision, either to stake claim as ‘real Sena’ or form a new group or merge with BJP, without attracting anti-defection penalties. A member of the legislative council also accompanied them.
Shinde’s strength has been building up ever since he and his men were shifted here from Surat on Wednesday morning. But he was still short of the all-crucial mark of 37, which would provide the immunity to him and his Sena men from disqualification should they decide to walk out of Uddhav Thackeray’s hold, until Dadaji Bhause and Sanjay Rathod landed at Guwahati from Surat by a chartered aircraft at 9 pm along with MLC Ravindra Phatak.
Earlier in the day, Shinde brought his group of 42 legislators comprising 35 Sena MLAs and seven Independents in one photo frame for the first time since he arrived here Guwahati.
'A big national party told me they will take care of us'
The silhouette of BJP’s hand in the Maharashtra crisis appeared when a video that was sent out showed Shinde addressing his men in Marathi saying, “A big national party, a mahashakti, which has given befitting reply to Pakistan, has told me that this decision which we have all taken is a historic decision and they will take care of us.”
Also, for the first time on Thursday, a BJP minister, Ashok Singhal of Assam, drove to the hotel and met the Maharashtra legislators, which was the first signal that showed which way things were going.
