“We're still hopeful Rebel MLAs will return, were always in talks with them”, says Sanjay Raut

|HT|

In his latest public outreach to the ‘rebel’ faction of the Shiv Sena, senior party leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday invoked a Hindi idiom and said it was never too late for one to realise his mistake. “We're still hopeful that these MLAs will return. We were always in talks with the rebels. They are our people and will come back. Subah ka bhoola agar shaam to ghar aa jaye to usse bhoola nahi kehte,” Raut said. The Rajya Sabha MP also remarked that the Shiv Sena will always belong to its founder, the late Bal Thackeray, adding that very soon, a ‘big expose’ would happen through which it would be revealed how the dissident Sena legislators were made to revolt against party supremo and former Maharashtra chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray.

Responding to revolt leader and incumbent CM Eknath Shinde's statement that after the next assembly elections, there would be 100 MLAs each from the Shiv Sena and BJP – which is supporting the current government – Raut said, “We're confident of winning 100 seats as the Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray said let's have mid-term polls and everything will be clear, who'll win and who'll lose.” The outspoken politician was speaking to media a day after the ‘Shinde Sena’ and BJP's alliance government easily sailed through a trust vote, securing 164 votes in its favour and 99 against, in the 288-member legislative assembly. On Sunday, too, the ruling dispensation's nominee for Speaker, BJP MLA Rahul Narvekar, registered an easy win, securing 164 votes in his favour and just 107 against. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has a total of 55 MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly, of whom 40, including CM Shinde, have rebelled against him. This means that the so-called ‘rebel’ group has more than two-thirds of the party's total strength and is, therefore, clear of the anti-defection law. It can also stake claim to be the ‘real’ Shiv Sena. The two sides are already fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court.

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