The recent verdict by the Supreme Court brings an end, at least for now, to the ongoing saga that began in June of the previous year. It all started when a group of Shiv Sena lawmakers, led by Eknath Shinde, became unreachable. This event triggered the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis in the state of Maharashtra, India. Eknath Shinde and other MLAs from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition moved to Surat in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed Gujarat, causing a crisis within the coalition.
Later on, the group relocated to Guwahati, another BJP-governed state, Assam. Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena leader, accused the BJP of instigating the revolt within Shiv Sena and attempting to overthrow the MVA coalition government, a claim implicitly supported by BJP’s Sushil Modi. Eknath Shinde led a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray because he disagreed with Thackeray’s decision to maintain the alliance with Maha Vikas Aghadi, despite the requests from a significant majority of elected Shiv Sena members. Shinde’s faction eventually gained control of the party and formed a new government in Maharashtra with the support of the BJP.
On 29th June, Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, resigned from his position and as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). He made this announcement during a live social media address prior to a no-confidence motion scheduled for June 29, 2022. Thackeray’s resignation led to the cancellation of the floor test, and on June 30th, Eknath Shinde assumed the role of Chief Minister, with Devendra Fadnavis becoming the Deputy Chief Minister.
In a judgment issued on May 11, 2023, the Supreme Court concluded that the Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, and the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narwekar, did not act in accordance with the law. However, the Uddhav Thackeray government cannot be reinstated due to Thackeray’s resignation, which resulted in the cancellation of the floor test. In the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (SHS) formed an alliance called Mahayuti. They contested the election together, while the Indian National Congress (INC) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) formed the Maha Aghadi alliance. The BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena won 56 seats, NCP won 54 seats, and INC won 44 seats. After the election results were announced, differences emerged between Shiv Sena and BJP regarding power-sharing arrangements.
Shiv Sena demanded an equal share of power, claiming that the BJP had agreed to it, although BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, publicly denied such an agreement. Shiv Sena specifically demanded the position of Chief Minister for 2.5 years, based on the alleged 50-50 agreement. However, the incumbent CM from BJP, Devendra Fadnavis, denied the existence of any such formula. As a result, BJP decided to sever ties with its long-standing ally, Shiv Sena. Subsequently, Shiv Sena declined to support the BJP in forming the government, leading to the 2019 Maharashtra political crisis.
Eventually, Shiv Sena joined forces with the Maha Aghadi alliance of INC and NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, with a combined seat count of 154 seats, surpassing the majority threshold of 145 seats. Under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, the MVA alliance formed the government. During this time, Eknath Shinde advocated for breaking the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and re-establishing the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition. He requested Uddhav Thackeray to dissolve the alliance, but his request was repeatedly ignored. Shinde managed to gather the support of two-thirds of his party members for his request, sparking the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
Following the results of the Legislative Council elections, Eknath Shinde, a prominent leader of the Shiv Sena party, mysteriously disappeared and became uncontactable. On June 21, 2022, Uddhav Thackeray called for a meeting with all his party MLAs, but around 10 to 12 MLAs were unable to be reached. It was later revealed that Shinde, along with 11 other Shiv Sena MLAs, had flown to Surat, a city in the BJP-governed state of Gujarat. As a consequence, Shinde was removed from his position as the Shiv Sena party whip, and he even removed the reference to Shiv Sena from his Twitter profile. During his stay in a Surat hotel, Shinde held several meetings with BJP leaders.
In order to prevent further loss of MLAs, the Shiv Sena accommodated the remaining MLAs in various hotels in Mumbai. Shinde claimed to have the support of “nearly 40 MLAs” and needed the support of at least 37 MLAs (two-thirds of the total strength of 55) to avoid disqualification under India’s Anti-defection laws. Shinde demanded that Thackeray dissolve the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and rejoin forces with the BJP. Following the results of the Legislative Council elections, the sudden disappearance of Eknath Shinde, a senior leader of the Shiv Sena party, caused significant turmoil within the party. On June 21, 2022, Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena, called for a crucial meeting with all his MLAs, but to everyone’s surprise, 10 to 12 MLAs, including Shinde, could not be reached or located. The situation raised concerns and speculation about a potential rebellion within the party.
It was soon discovered that Shinde, along with 11 other Shiv Sena MLAs, had flown to Surat, a city in the neighboring BJP-governed state of Gujarat. The move stunned the Shiv Sena leadership and intensified the brewing political crisis. As a consequence of his actions, Shinde was swiftly removed from his position as the party whip within Shiv Sena. Furthermore, he took the unexpected step of removing any reference to Shiv Sena from his Twitter profile, indicating a clear rift between him and the party leadership. During his stay in a hotel in Surat, Shinde engaged in several closed-door meetings with key BJP leaders, fueling speculation about a potential political realignment. Shinde claimed to have garnered the support of “nearly 40 MLAs” within Shiv Sena, indicating a significant faction supporting his stance. In order to prevent further defections, Shiv Sena leadership took precautionary measures by accommodating the remaining MLAs in different hotels across Mumbai.
Shinde’s demand for Thackeray to break the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and re-establish ties with the BJP added another layer of complexity to the already volatile situation. He aimed to persuade Thackeray to reconsider the current political alliance and rejoin forces with the BJP, citing differing ideologies and disagreements within the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. The sudden disappearance of Shinde, along with the subsequent events and demands, triggered a full-blown political crisis in Maharashtra. The situation not only tested the stability of the Shiv Sena-led government but also had broader implications for the political landscape of the state. The intense negotiations, behind-the-scenes meetings, and uncertainty surrounding the political future of Maharashtra captured significant public and media attention during that time.
