SAI

The MPs, around a dozen, are expected to soon announce their formal support to Shinde after attending an online meeting with him on Monday. In anticipation, the Maharashtra Police and Central government has given these MPs extra security at their homes or offices in Mumbai to prevent any untoward incidents.

Earlier, he visited Delhi with deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief J.P. Nadda and others. Talking to the media on his arrival, Chief Minister Shinde said that he came to the national capital to hold a discussion regarding OBC reservations as the Maharashtra government is committed to providing justice to OBCs.

Briefing the media after a cabinet meeting, Shinde said that Aurangabad will be renamed as 'Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar' and Osmanabad shall be rechristened as 'Dharashiv'. The upcoming new international airport shall be renamed after D. B. Patil, a prominent leader from Konkan, he added.

The Shinde-Fadnavis' move, though anticipated, attracted howls of protest from greens, activists and even former CM Uddhav Thackeray -- who was like a �godfather' to Aarey Colony -- and his son ex-Minister Aditya Thackeray. A sad Thackeray publicly appealed, with �folded hands' to Shinde-Fadnavis, not to bring back the Metro car-shed to Aarey Colony forests in the interests of Mumbai and the city's environment.

"I am confident that all these 50 MLAs will win the elections... If any of them lose, I will resign from politics," Shinde said, speaking at a rally by one of his supporting legislators, Abdul Sattar. He reiterated that in the next state elections, his Shiv Sena and ally Bharatiya Janata Party would jointly bag 200 seats - or he would leave politics.

Shiv Sena spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut said that the party has sent a letter to the Raj Bhavan on this count. In the communication to the Governor, ex-minister and Sena General Secretary Subhash Desai has drawn attention to the party's writ petitions pending before the apex court. Desai pointed out that even "the question of legality of the decision to appoint Eknath Shinde as the Chief Minister is also sub-judice" before the top court.

The Prime Minister's Office tweeted: "The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri @mieknathshinde and the Deputy Chief Minister Shri @Dev_Fadnavis called on PM." Earlier on Saturday, before meeting PM Modi, Shinde and Fadnavis addressed the media here. Answering a question about portfolio allocation, Shinde said: "Tomorrow is Aashadhi Ekadashi. We (Shinde and Fadnavis) will meet in Mumbai after that and then discuss portfolio allocation."

On June 1, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) had gone ahead declaring local body elections without the provision of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). In fact, it has issued notification for polls to some lower level civic bodies in August first week too. Cutting across political ideologies, all parties in Maharashtra are in favour of reservation to OBCs and the opposition Nationalist Congress Party-Congress-Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) have also demanded deferring the polls till the issue is resolved.

Ahead of their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde and Fadnavis addressed media here. Incidentally, Shinde did much of the talking after a two line introduction by Fadnavis. Answering a question about portfolio allocation, Shinde said, "Tomorrow is Aashadhi Ekadashi. We (Shinde and Fadnavis) will meet in Mumbai after that and then discuss portfolio allocation."

Referring to the recent catastrophe that has left the Shiv Sena emasculated after an internal revolt, Thackeray, who quit last month as CM, said the common masses "don't like these (political) games". "The people are asking the same questions - why they (the rebels) behaved like this even when the party gave them so many posts... did so much for them. So many women activists had tears in their eyes yesterday. I thank the masses from the bottom of my heart," said the Sena chief.