The Maharashtra Assembly session to elect a new Speaker began on Sunday with a huge uproar, after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other MLAs arrived in the state Assembly in Mumbai.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP MLAs also arrived at the state Assembly.
Earlier, the Eknath Shinde-faction came out of Hotel Trident hotel in Mumbai from where they were driven to the Assembly.
The election of the Speaker for the Maharashtra Assembly is set to take place on Sunday after the new Eknath Shinde government took over following the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rule in the state.
With the return of the MLAs, who echoed the revolt against Uddhav Thackeray along with their leader Shinde, to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday night, the stage is all set for political developments in Maharashtra to take place on the weekend.
Earlier, the Shiv Sena legislative party office was sealed by the Thackeray faction, with a notice in Marathi pasted outside to that effect.
"We have closed the office of the Shiv Sena legislative party in the Assembly. We have to go to the House together, the keys to the office are with us. They had kept some of our MLAs locked up. What is the big deal if we've locked up the office," said Shiv Sena loyalist leader Aaditya Thackeray.
There was a notice in Marathi posted outside, which read, "This office is closed as per instructions of Shiv Sena legislative party office."
Meanwhile, news agency ANI reported that the MLAs of Eknath Shinde-faction left the nearby Hotel Trident hotel, and have left for the State Assembly.
Also, BJP MLAs have also reportedly arrived at the State Assembly in Mumbai.
Together, they will arrive at the State Assembly where the election for the Speaker post will be held today.
The four-day old Shiv Sena-BJP government will face the floor test on July 4 during the special two-day session of the Legislative Assembly beginning here Sunday.
The election to the post of the Speaker of the House was scheduled to be held Sunday after the House proceedings begin at 11 am, an official said.
Sena MLA and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Rajan Salvi is the candidate of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine for the Speaker's election. He is pitted against first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar.
Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who support Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday evening on the eve of the Assembly session, and were lodged in a luxury hotel in south Mumbai, where Vidhan Bhavan, venue of the floor test, is located.
(with inputs from agencies)
