Eknath Shinde is recently dismissed from his position as legislative party leader in Maharashtra’s assembly, adding another twist to the political drama. Ajay Chaudhary, a Sewri MLA, has been named the new Shiv Sena Legislative Party leader.

Rebel leader, Eknath Shinde, whose phone was unreachable, tweeted that he will not compromise on Balasaheb’s Hindutva in the name of power. “We are Balasaheb’s loyal Shiv Sainiks,” Shinde tweeted from Surat, Gujarat. “Balasaheb has instilled Hindutva in us. In regards to Balasaheb’s beliefs and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings, we have never and will never deceive for power.”

Eknath Shinde, along with his loyal MLAs, went missing after the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections on Monday, June 20th. Following several Shiv Sena MLAs’ cross-voted in MLC elections, which aided the BJP, party supremo Uddhav Thackeray convened a conference of all Shiv Sena MLAs. Shinde and 13 other MLAs, on the other hand, skipped the meeting as the MVA government’s problem deepened.

While the Shiv Sena is scrambling to keep its members together, Sharad Pawar, a Shiv Sena ally, has stated that he has faith in Uddhav Thackeray and is optimistic that they will find a way out of the crisis. Pawar is in Delhi for an opposition meeting ahead of the presidential elections.

The Shiv Sena isn’t the only Maharashtra political party in disarray following the MLC elections. After Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore lost the polls due to cross-voting by his own party’s MLAs, numerous Congress workers revolted against the party on Monday night.

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.