Maharashtra political crisis: Sena workers vandalise office of Independent MLA from Gondia

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 27 (ANI): Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra, a group of Shiv Sena workers, armed with lathis and sticks, allegedly vandalised the office of Independent MLA from Gondia Vinod Agrawal on Monday.
On Sunday, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said there is no major incident of disruption of law and order in the state.
Earlier, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said that he received a complaint from 8 MLAs, of Shiv Sena, 2 MLAs of Prahar Jan Shakti Party and 7 Independent MLAs stating that the police security of their families has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn.
Koshyari said, in the complaint, they have raised serious concerns about the safety of their homes and families in the context of the provocative and threatening statements being made by certain political leaders.
On Sunday, top government sources said the Central government has provided 'Y+' category armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently in Assam's Guwahati.
The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs had moved to Guwahati from Surat and have claimed growing support of Shiv Sena MLAs. The rebel MLAs' leader Eknath Shinde had claimed on Wednesday that he has the support of 46 MLAs, including six to seven Independent MLAs. Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly.
In the latest jolt to the Uddhav Thackeray camp, Uday Samant joined the rebel group on June 26. He is the eighth minister from Shiv Sena to join the rebel camp.
Both the Shiv Sena and the rebel group have been seeking to outmanoeuvre each other. While the Thackeray group removed Shinde as leader of the legislative party and appointed a new chief whip, supporters of Shinde wrote to the state Governor that he continues to be the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature group. They also appointed a chief whip.
The battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to
disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm.
Earlier, the Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by Monday, 5.30 pm.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, in its order, said, "As an interim measure, the time granted by the Deputy Speaker, to the petitioners or other similarly placed MLAs to submit their submissions today by 5.30 pm, stands extended till July 12. The petitioners or other MLAs are at liberty to submit their reply without prejudice to their rights in the writ petition."

The apex court was hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.

The bench also issued notices to the Deputy Speaker, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the Centre, Ajay Chaudhary, and Sunil Prabhu and asked them to file a reply within five days.
On the request of providing security to 39 MLAs alleging threats to them, the Supreme Court recorded the statement of the standing counsel of the Maharashtra government, Rahul Chitnis, that adequate steps have already been taken and the state government will further ensure that no harm is caused to the life, liberty, property of the MLAs. (ANI)