Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra Chief Minister ahead of floor test tomorrow

Moments after Supreme Court dismissed plea of Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor's direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday, the chief minister on Wednesday night announced that he is resigning from his post.

Thackeray also said that he is resigning as a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC).

"I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhawan. I will gather all my people," Thackeray, who was facing a rebellion by majority of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, said in a webcast.

Thackeray stated, "I want to express my gratitude to the people of NCP and Congress that they supported me. From Shiv Sena, Anil Parab, Subhash Desai and Aaditya Thackeray, these people were only present when the proposal was passed while NCP and Cong people also supported the proposal."

Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, appealed to Sena workers to allow the rebel legislators to return and not take to the streets in protest.

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The rebels, earlier in the evening, left Guwahati where they were camping for over a week, and landed in Goa.

''Let the rebels who grew politically because of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray get joy and satisfaction of pulling down his son from the post of chief minister,'' Uddhav Thackeray said.

''I don't want to get into the numbers' game. It would be shameful for me to see if even one of my own party colleagues stands against me,'' he said.

This major development comes after SC said that the result of floor test will be subject to outcome of the case and asked Thackeray to prove majority tomorrow at 11 am.

Earlier today, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala took note of submissions of senior advocate A M Singhvi that an urgent hearing was needed given the decision taken by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asking the MVA government to prove a majority at 11 am on Thursday.

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The governor's decision was preceded by visit on Tuesday night by a BJP delegation which demanded a floor test claiming that the Sena-led government was in minority. Prabhu then moved the Supreme Court against Governor Koshyari’s direction.

Meanwhile, Shinde's lawyers on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction is in a “hopeless minority” within the party and a floor test in the Assembly is the best way to stop horse-trading.

Elsewhere, after spending eight days in Assam, rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde left Guwahati on Wednesday evening for Goa.

A major decision taken by the cabinet on Wednesday was renaming of Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar.

(With agency inputs)