REBEL SENA MLA S ARRIVE IN GOA, SET TO REACH MUMBAI TODAY

GUWAHATI: Rebel Shiv Sena legislators led by Eknath Shinde and some Independent MLAS from Maharashtra on Wednesday evening landed at Dabolim airport in Goa from Guwahati for a stopover before heading to Mumbai.

The legislators arrived on a chartered aircraft and were expected to check-in at a fivestar hotel, Taj Convention Centre, at Dona Paula near Panaji. The aircraft landed around 9.45pm and the MLAS exited the airport from a different gate, mostly used by the Navy, giving waiting journalists the slip. By then, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the confidence vote in Maharashtra on Thursday, and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had resigned.

Since Wednesday evening, the security around the airport and the hotel was beefed up expecting the arrival of the MLAS, who were in Assam for eight days.

“The Supreme Court will take decision,” Shinde told reporters at Guwahati airport when asked to comment on Shiv Sena’s plea challenging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari’s decision to convene a special assembly session on Thursday for a floor test.

“First, there will be a trust vote and after that, we will have a meeting of our legislature party to decide on our future course of action,” he said, adding that all legislators will reach Mumbai on Thursday.

“We are not rebels. All of us are Shiv Sainiks. We will carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray’s agenda and ideology of Hindutva and development of Maharashtra,” Shinde said, hinting at the coming fight with Thackeray for the legacy of Balasaheb and the party name itself. Before leaving Guwahati, Shinde and other MLAS announced a donation of ₹51 lakh for flood relief.

They were accompanied to the airport by two ministers from Assam.