Shinde group to form new Shiv Sena, Will create a new Sena, Uddhav

In Maharashtra, ruling Shiv Sena heading towards a split. As the four-day-old political crisis showed no signs of heading towards a resolution,The rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde on Saturday named their group as ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb’, this amid the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena presses for their disqualification from the assembly, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said. "We have only two options in Maharashtra, either to support the NCP or the BJP. In the end, the option remains to go with the BJP", says Kesarkar, adding, "Eknath Shinde will take the final call on whether to go with BJP".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday night dared rebel leader Eknath Shinde and the BJP to try and take away the Shiv Sena cadre and those who vote for the party, and also accused the BJP of trying to finish off the Sena. In a virtual address to party corporators, he said the common Shiv Sena workers were his "wealth", and as long as they were with him, he did not care about criticism by others. The Shiv Sena has been "betrayed by its own people," he said, as his government faced a crisis after majority of Sena MLAs joined Eknath Shinde who is camping in Guwahati. The rebels will not be able to win the next election, Thackeray claimed. Hitting out at Shinde and BJP, he dared them to try and lure away the Shiv Sena's voters.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde on Saturday alleged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray had withdrawn the security cover provided to his family and those of other MLAs camping with him in Guwahati. Shinde tweeted the letter addressed to Thackeray, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil, director general of police (DGP) Rajnish Seth and all the police commissioners, Shinde alleged malicious withdrawal of security cover to the family members of the MLAs. Needless to mention, this sinister move is another attempt to break our resolve and arm twist us to give into the demands of the MVA government comprising the NCP and INC goons,” Shinde said in the letter. The allegations being levelled through Twitter are false and completely baseless,” Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil said.