Day before disqualification verdict, Fadnavis says...

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Shiv Sena-BJP government will remain stable, remarks coming a day ahead of the verdict to be pronounced by the assembly speaker on disqualification petitions against CM Eknath Shinde and other MLAs of Shiv Sena.

The senior BJP leader stressed that the alliance government is "legal" and hoped the speaker's ruling will give justice to them.

Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar will deliver the verdict on the disqualification petitions against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs whose rebellion had split the Shiv Sena in June 2022, Vidhan Bhavan officials said on Monday.

The Supreme Court had set the deadline for delivering the ruling on December 31, 2023, which was subsequently extended till January 10.

"The speaker will take a proper and legal decision. Our side is strong. The government formed by us (BJP and Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde) is legally strong. We expect that we will get justice from the Speaker....Our government was stable yesterday and it will remain stable tomorrow as well," Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-UBT head Uddhav Thackeray has hit out at Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar for meeting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of his judgment on the petitions seeking disqualification of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Thackeray claimed Narwekar's meeting with Shinde on Monday is akin to a "judge meeting a criminal".

In June 2022, Eknath Shinde and several MLAs rebelled against the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, leading to a split in the Shiv Sena and fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also comprised the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

Cross petitions were filed by the Shinde and Thackeray factions seeking action against each other under anti-defection laws.

"The verdict is expected to be out after 4pm on January 10. The Speaker's office is finalising the verdict," Vidhan Bhavan officials said.

After the rebellion in June 2022, Shinde became the CM with the Bharatiya Janata Party's support.

In July last year, the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP also joined his government.

The Election Commission had given the 'Shiv Sena' name and 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Shinde-led faction, while the one headed by Thackeray was to be called Shiv Sena-UBT with a flaming torch as its symbol.