Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde “Unreachable”, Reportedly In Gujarat Hotel With MLAs

Maharashtra Minister and top Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has reportedly moved to a hotel in Gujarat’s Surat with 10 party MLAs. Sources say Mr Shinde, who is reportedly upset, is “unreachable”. The development is bound to set off alarm bells in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

Mr Shinde, it is learnt, may address the media at noon.

The legislators with Mr Shinde, it is learnt, are upset and this may signal a major crisis for the ruling alliance of Shiv Sena, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.

Mr Shinde is a prominent Sena leader in Thane and has played a key role in strengthening the organisation in the region.

Seen as a mass leader, Mr Shinde was named Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP. When the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed, he was appointed cabinet minister for Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings).

Of late, there have been reports that Mr Shinde is upset with the leadership and has been feeling sidelined.

His son, Dr Shrikant Shinde, is a Member of Parliament from Kalyan.

The development has set off speculation on the future of the Uddhav Thackeray government.

Former Sena leader Narayan Rane, who is now with the BJP, had a cheeky response. “No comments should be made on such things, else what is the point of being unreachable,” he said.

Mahesh Tapase, spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party, told Media that the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is “absolutely safe”.