MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose government has been rocked by instability for more than a week following a rebellion by former confidant Eknath Shinde, yesterday announced his resignation.
He made the announcement on Facebook Live on Wednesday evening. His resignation comes soon after the Supreme Court, in a late night sitting on Wednesday, refused to stay Thursday’s confidence motion ordered by Governor BS Koshiyari.
The Supreme Court rejected Uddhav government’s plea and refused to stay the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly today. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala heard arguments on behalf of Shiv Sena, its rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, and the Governor on the plea in the hearing conducted after 5 pm through hybrid mode.
Thackeray also resigned from his Vidhan Parishad’s membership. Former CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis along with state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and other party leaders celebrated at Taj President hotel in Mumbai when arrived for a legislative meeting.
“I am resigning as the Chief Minister. I am not the one to be scared, but rather than spilling the blood of the Shiv Sainiks on the streets, I will step down. I don’t care for the post, I care for support of my Shiv Sainiks. A new democracy will be born tomorrow. No Shiv Sainik will come in their way. I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhawan. I will gather all my people.”- Uddhav Thackeray
Aurangabad renamed as Sambhaji Nagar
The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday gave an approval for renaming of two cities in Marathwada region of the state – Aurangabad and Osmanabad – as Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv, respectively.
The cabinet meeting, presided by state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, was attended by most of the NCP, Congress and some ministers of Shiv Sena, who are with Thackeray. The cabinet also gave nod to rename the Navi Mumbai International Airport as D B Patil International Airport.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting, CM Thackeray expressed dismay over being betrayed by the MLAs of his own party. “I was betrayed by the MLAs of my own party,” he added and thanked the allied parties, NCP and Congress, for their cooperation during the past two and half years.
