Amid Maha crisis, Uddhav chairs Shiv Sena's national executive meet; all eyes on action against rebels

Mumbai: The national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena is underway at the party’s headquarters in the city on Saturday, where Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the party president, is expected to take a decision on the action against the rebel MLAs, including Eknath Shinde.

Thackeray was supposed to chair the meeting virtually from his residence “Matoshree”. However, he reached the party headquarters – Shiv Sena Bhavan – at Dadar in central Mumbai.

The party’s national executive is expected to authorise Thackeray to take decisions regarding the organisation in view of the rebellion by Shinde. Along with Shinde, another disgruntled party leader and former minister Ramdas Kadam, is expected to face action. Both of them are members of national executive. Kadam’s son MLA Yogesh Kadam has joined the rebel camp in Guwahati.

The Shiv Sena has already filed a petition seeking disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs.

Talking to reporters outside the Sena Bhavan, Rajya Sabha member Anil Desai said, “The proceedings of the national executive meeting will be sent to the Election Commission.” Thackeray, who had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, had addressed the Shiv Sena cadres twice on Friday, in which he said he was ready to quit the post of Shiv Sena president if the workers feel he was not capable of running the party effectively.