Maharashtra political crisis update: CM Uddhav Thackeray tests positive for COVID, says Congress’ Kamal Nath

Kamal Nath said he was supposed to meet Thackeray before the Cabinet meeting, but as the CM has tested positive for COVID-19, he did not meet him

File image of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. PTI

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has tested positive for COVID-19, Congress Observer for the state Kamal Nath told media on Wednesday. The claims by the Congress leader comes minutes ahead of the crucial cabinet meeting that has been convened by the CM today afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Kamal Nath said he was supposed to meet Thackeray before the Cabinet meeting, but as the CM has tested positive for COVID-19, he did not meet him.

The Maharashtra cabinet meeting started around 1 pm and CM Uddhav Thackeray participated in it via video conferencing.

Kamal Nath further told media, “I have talked to CM Uddhav Thackeray and he said that as of now there’s no proposal to dissolve the Maharashtra Assembly.”

He further said, “41 MLAs out of 44 MLAs attended the meeting here (in Mumbai) while three are on the way. The politics BJP has started is of money and muscle power which is against the constitution. I have seen this a lot… Unity will prevail in Shiv Sena under Udhhav Thackeray.”

There is a strong buzz that Uddhav Thackeray may resign after about 40 out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs are with rebel Eknath Shinde in Guwahati.

Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, Sena MP Sanjay Raut today hinted that the state was heading towards a dissolution of the state assembly.

“The ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra is heading to the dissolution of Vidhan Sabha,” Raut tweeted.

His tweet came mere hours after Sena rebel Shinde said that he has the support of more than 40 MLAs. He along with 33 Shiv Sena and seven independent MLAs is lodging in a hotel in Guwahati, Assam.

On Monday evening, after the declaration of the Maharashtra Legislative Council poll results, Shinde and other MLAs took a charter plane to Gujarat and stayed in a hotel in Surat before leaving for Guwahati early on Wednesday. They left Mumbai after cross-voting in the election.

For MVA, its one of its worst crisis since coming into existence in 2019, putting an uncertainity on the stability of the two-and-a-half-year old government.

The Shiv Sena, which heads the MVA, has 55 MLAs, followed by allies NCP (53) and the Congress (44) in the 288-Assembly where the current simple majority mark is 144.

There is one vacancy due to the death of a Sena MLA last month. The current strength of the Maharashtra Assembly is 287. Fifteen independent legislators and MLAs from smaller parties support the MVA government, taking the number to 167.

The BJP has 106 MLAs of its own and is backed by one lawmaker each from the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, the Swabhimani Paksh, the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh, the Jan Surajya Party and six independents, taking its tally with allies to 116.

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