Amid the rebellion in Shiv Sena, party chief Uddhav Thackeray removed leader Eknath Shinde from all leadership posts. Shinde had just taken over as chief minister of the state. In a letter to Shinde, who was sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister a day earlier, Thackeray accused him of "indulging in anti-party activities". Shinde has also "voluntarily" given up the membership of the party, therefore "in exercise of powers vested in me as Shiv Sena party president, I remove you from the post of Shiv Sena leader in the party organisation," said the letter.
A section of Shiv Sena parliamentarians on Friday asked Thackeray to mend fences with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde amid claims by BJP leaders that at least a dozen Lok Sabha members of the rebellion-hit party were in touch with them.
A central BJP minister claimed that the split in the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra will also have an impact in the Lok Sabha as at least a dozen Lok Sabha members of the party, out of the total 19, were ready to switch sides.
A meeting of Shiv Sena MPs, convened by Thackeray in Mumbai on Friday evening, saw suggestions being made even by a party veteran to patch up with the rebel group led by Shinde in the long-term interests of the party.
Thackeray's response to the suggestions was not immediately known.
The meeting was not attended by three lawmakers—Shrikant Shinde, the son of the new chief minister; Bhawana Gawli, who is under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate; and Rajan Vichare, the Lok Sabha member from Thane, the sources said.
Shiv Sena has 19 members in the Lok Sabha and three members in the Rajya Sabha. Shinde's son Shrikant, a two-term Lok Sabha member from Kalyan, has already joined ranks with his father, while five-term parliamentarian from Yavatmal Bhawana Gawli had written a letter to the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray urging him to consider the grievances of the rebels with regard to Hindutva.
Rajan Vichare, the Lok Sabha member from Thane, was mentored by the late Anand Dighe like Shinde.
Gawli has been under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate over allegations of money laundering connected with a non-governmental organisation run by her.
