Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra Chief Minister

After Supreme Court dismissed the plea of Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Maharashtra Governor's direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday, the chief minister announced on Wednesday night that he is resigning from his position.

Thackeray said that he was resigning as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council MLC. I had come to power in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here again, and I will sit in Shiv Sena Bhawan. I will gather all my people, Thackeray, who were facing a rebellion by the majority of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, said in a webcast.

Thackeray said I want to express my gratitude to the people of the NCP and Congress that they supported me. These people were only present when the proposal was passed while NCP and Cong supported it, according to Shiv Sena, Anilb, Subhash Desai and Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, appealed to Sena workers to allow the rebels to return and not take to the streets in protest.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra political turmoil: SC gives go ahead to Guv's floor test order.

The rebels left Guwahati earlier in the evening and landed in Goa, where they were camping for over a week.

'Let the rebels who grew politically because of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray get joy and satisfaction by pulling down his son from the post of chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray said.

It would be shameful to see if one of my own party colleagues stands against me, he said.

This major development comes after SC said that the result of the floor test will be subject to outcome of the case and asked Thackeray to prove majority tomorrow at 11 am.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala took note of the submissions of senior advocate A M Singhvi that an urgent hearing was needed due to the decision taken by the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ask the MVA government to prove a majority at 11 am on Thursday.

The governor's decision was preceded by a visit by a BJP delegation on Tuesday night, which demanded a floor test claiming that the Sena-led government was in minority. Prabhu then moved the Supreme Court against the direction of Koshyari.

Shinde's lawyers told the Supreme Court that the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction is in a hopeless minority within the party and that a floor test in the Assembly is the best way to stop horse-trading.

The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde left Guwahati on Wednesday evening for Goa after spending eight days in Assam.

A major decision taken by the cabinet on Wednesday was the renaming of Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar.