Resigning as Maharashtra Chief Minister, announces Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday night announced he was stepping down from his post.

His announcement came soon after the Supreme Court declined to stay the floor test ordered by the Governor for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to prove its majority in the Assembly on Thursday. Also, he announced his resignation from the Member of Legislative Council (MLC) post.

Minutes earlier, the Supreme Court today said the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will have to face a floor test in the Assembly scheduled on Thursday.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala refused to interfere with Governor’s direction to the MVA government to prove its majority in the Assembly on June 30.

“We are not staying the floor test. We are issuing notice… you can file counter,” it said.

The top court also said it will hear the matter on merits along with other cases on July 11, and the result of Thursday’s test will depend on the final outcome of this petition.

After a marathon hearing of more than 3 hours, the bench had reserved its order on the plea by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu, challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to prove its majority in the House on Thursday.

In a related development, the top court also allowed Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik and former Anil minister Deshmukh, who are imprisoned in money laundering cases, to be escorted by the CBI/ED to the Assembly to cast their votes in the floor test.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Sambad English staff and is published from a syndicated feed)