The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra is in trouble after minister and Sena leader Eknath Shinde reportedly moved to a hotel in Surat in BJP-ruled Gujarat with several – latest reports put the number at 35 – party MLAs.
As per the anti-defection law, 37 legislators will have to defect to split the Shiv Sena. Thereafter, the ball will be in the governor's court as he will ask the CM to prove majority on the floor of house.
Here’s how the numbers stack up:
1. The strength of the assembly is 288. With two legislators in jail and one dead, the number is down to 285. This means the majority mark in the assembly, in the event of a trust vote, is now 143.
2. The MVA government of the Sena, NCP and the Congress has 151 legislators. The alliance also claims the support of some Independents.
3. The Sena has 55 MLAs, of whom 36 are reportedly in Surat. If these MLAs led by minister Eknath Shinde resign, the Sena's number comes down to 19.
4. This would bring down the MVA's strength in the House to 129. With 36 MLAs resigning, the new majority mark in the House will be 107.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
