Rebel MLAs firm on not quitting Sena, receive Shinde's assurance

The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and ministers who have joined the Eknath Shinde camp have told the Thane strongman that they will neither quit the party nor form a separate outfit.

- Ranjan Dasgupta, Mohammed Akhef & Abhijeet Patil

Nashik/Aurangabad/Kolhapur:  Shinde assured them that they would not have to leave the party and he would "eventually convince" 'saheb' (party chief Uddhav Thackeray) about their stand, some of the MLAs told TOI from Guwahati.

Shinde, who already had the support of three ministers, got the backing of two more ministers Gulabrao Patil and Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar on Wednesday evening.

Patil, a Sena cabinet minister and MLA from Jalgaon rural, told TOI that all four Sena MLAs from Jalgaon as well as the independent backing the party have decided to go with Shinde. "I feel it is prudent to join hands with Shinde. I still consider Uddhav Thackeray as our party chief. But in the current situation, when the majority of the party MLAs have sided with Shinde, we have no other option but to join that group," he said.