Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, is one of 53 Shiv Sena lawmakers who have received a show-cause notice asking them to explain why their membership in the legislative assembly should be maintained after disqualification procedures were commenced against them. The lawmakers have been instructed to respond within seven business days.
In all, notices were sent to 54 legislators - 39 belong to the Shinde-led Sena, 14 to Sena (UBT) and one other. Disqualification proceedings against members of the Shinde-led Sena were initiated by the Sena (UBT) whip, Sunil Prabhu, while Shinde-led party’s whip, Bharat Gogawale, had initiated proceedings against 14 Sena (UBT) legislators.
Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar confirmed to the media that following different sets of petitions filed by rival factions for violation of the anti-defection law, he has issued showcause notices to 54 legislators, 39 belonging to the Eknath Shinde-led party and 14 to Sena (UBT).
Narwekar’s decision to swing into action assumes significance since at an event at Raj Bhavan for the release of a book on veteran Congress leader Balasaheb Desai, father of state excise minister Shamburaj Desai, Narwekar had observed that soon he will take a “revolutionary” decision.