Now, 8th min jumps ship; only 3 Sena men left in Uddhav cabinet

Shinde Says Sena Can't Back Those With Dawood Ties

- Priyanka Kakodkar & Chaitanya Marpakwar

Mumbai: With the Shiv Sena on the warpath in a bid to reclaim the party, the rebel Eknath Shinde faction retaliated strongly on Sunday bringing higher education minister Uday Samant over to Guwahati to join the coup. The rebel camp also moved the Supreme Court against the disqualification notices sent to 16 of their MLAs by deputy speaker of the state assembly Narhari Zirwal. A second petition demands that Zirwal recognise Shinde as group leader of the Shiv Sena's legislature party.

Late in the night, Shinde tweeted against the MVA alliance: "How can Balasaheb's Shiv Sena support those who have ties to Dawood Ibrahim who orchestrated the bomb blasts? I took these steps to oppose this." Samant, who was earlier with the NCP, is the eighth minister to switch sides from minister chief Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet. This leaves just three Sena ministers in the cabinet.

Busy weekend for rebels as they boost tally; party livid

Mumbai: Education minister Uday Samant, who switched to the rebel Shiv Sena camp on Sunday, was present at the party's national executive a day earlier. He was part of the core group formed after the revolt and was privy to the leadership's legal strategy. Sources say the one-time NCP leader has negotiated for a cabinet berth and guardian ministership of Ratnagiri in the new government.