The Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) expressed confidence on Wednesday that the Supreme Court’s verdict today will go in their favour.
The Constitution Bench of the SC will deliver its much-awaited verdict on the disqualification of 16 MLAs belonging to the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today.
Have done everything according to law: Fadnavis
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters at Varsha: “We are confident that a right decision will come as we have done everything according to the law.”
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat, one of the MLAs with the sword of disqualification hanging over his head, also toed the same line. “We examined all legal possibilities before revolting and hence we are confident that the decision will be in our favour. Look at me, Do I look tense? I would have been tense if we had done anything wrong,” Shirsat said.
He took potshots at Shiv Sena (UBT) for raising questions over impartiality of institutions. “The election commission decided in our favour because we were right. But they accused the commission of taking thousands of crores,” Shirsat said.
Judgment to prove if judiciary free: Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the judgment will prove if the judicial system is free.
“The MLAs might be disqualified, the governments may come and go. These things keep happening in politics. But, tomorrow you’ll see the nation’s fate being decided. It’ll be decided whether democracy still prevails in the country, whether the Constitution is being upheld in the country. The opposition is being acted against, governments are being toppled, judiciary is under pressure. We don’t want this to happen in India. Tomorrow’s verdict will be more important from this point of view,” Raut said, adding that his party is hopeful of emerging victorious as it believes in the Constitution.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai said, “Tomorrow’s verdict will strengthen democracy. I am confident that the verdict will be in our favour.”
No threat to government, says Bawankule
State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed that the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance could prove its majority if needed by securing 184-plus votes in the 288-member assembly. He said the government will be stable irrespective of the verdict.
“Even the opposition leader [Ajit Pawar] and Sharad Pawar know that there is no threat to the incumbent Eknath Shinde-BJP government. But if the need arises, we will prove majority by winning more than 184 votes in the assembly,” he said.
“The next government will also be formed by the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. We will together win 48 Lok Sabha seats and also win the assembly elections [due in the second half of 2024],” Bawankule claimed.
The apex court in March this year had reserved its verdict on a clutch of cross-petitions filed by the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde factions pertaining to last year’s political crisis in the state, including one seeking disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs (of Shinde’s party) who revolted against Thackeray’s leadership.
