Guwahati: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with other party MLAs arrived in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam early this morning. They were received by BJP leaders Sushanta Borgohain and Pallab Lochan Das.
Speaking to reporters at the Guwahati airport, Eknath Shinde claimed he has support of 40 Shiv Sena MLAs and six Independents, and they will carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology. "We have not left Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena and will not leave it," he said.
Before leaving for Assam, Eknath Shinde and other party MLAs had been camping in a Surat hotel in Gujarat - another BJP-ruled state. The move to shift them to Guwahati came shortly after his telephonic conversation with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The crisis in Maharashtra unfolded after suspected cross-voting in Monday's Legislative Council elections in which BJP won five of 10 seats, although its own numbers entitled the party to four seats. (UNI)