Centre provides 'Y+' category security cover of CRPF to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs

|HT|

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, the Centre has provided 'Y+' category security cover of armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who jumped ship to Eknath Shinde's camp. This comes a day after Eknath Shinde in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, home minister Dilip Walse Patil, DGP Rajnish Seth and others had alleged that the security cover provided to the family members of the rebel MLAs had been withdrawn. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government had rejected the charges.

Shinde's angry letter came amid reports of the offices of rebel MLAs being vandalised by Shiv Sainiks across Maharashtra.

Earlier on Sunday, Shinde called a meeting of the MLAs camping with him at a hotel in Assam's Guwahati to discuss the strategy ahead as Thackeray's Shiv Sena threatens to take to the streets.

Shinde claimed to have the support of at least 38 of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly. If Shinde is to be taken for his word, it would mean that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another, both resulting in a drastic collapse of the current MVA government.

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