Mumbai, 22/6: Over 30 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena led by their leader Eknath Shinde arrived in Guwahati this morning. They had been staying at a resort in Gujarat’s Surat since Monday night. Speaking to reporters at the Guwahati airport, Shinde claimed he has support of 40 MLAs and they will carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva. The move to shift Shinde and other Sena rebel MLAs came shortly after his telephonic conversation with Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
On Tuesday, Shiv Sena leaders Milind Narvekar and Ravindra Phatak, sent by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, held discussions with the rebels at the hotel.However, talks it seems were not successful.Shiv Sena MLAs were airlifted to Guwahati to avoid any confrontation by Sena party workers, said a BJP leader. A senior BJP leader from Maharashtra on Monday late night told PTI, “We are shifting the MLAs to Guwahati for security reason. Surat being very close to Mumbai, may witness some backlash from angry Sena workers