Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde and around 21 Shiv Sena MLAs from the state are camping at a hotel in Gujarat's Surat city, sources said on June 21, a day after the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress) faced a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) polls by losing one out of the six seats it contested.
The MLAs, who are seemingly unhappy with their leadership, arrived in Surat on the night of June 20 and are camping at the Le Meridian Hotel here, they said.In the MLC polls held for 10 seats, the BJP managed to win all the five seats it had contested. The Sena and NCP won two seats each. Congress suffered a jolt as one of its two nominees --- Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore --- lost.The Sena, however, insists the situation is under control with senior party leader Sanjay Raut stating they are in touch with the MLAs in Gujarat.Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda will be flying to Ahmedabad. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadanvis will meet Eknath Shinde after landing in Surat, according to sources.Sources also said once Eknath Shinde's meetings with senior BJP leaders are over, he will submit his resignation as minister in the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet to the governor.