Uddhav Thackeray steps down as Maha CM

Mumbai, June 29: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray  resigned on Tuesday evening following the Supreme Court issued ruling in favour of the floor test. It came to the fore when Thackeray announced his resignation during a Facebook session in the evening. The Supreme Court refused to  the stay order by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari calling for a special session of state assembly tomorrow (Jun 29) for Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government to take a floor test. The order was passed by a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala on a plea filed by Shiv Sena Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu challenging the Governor's direction as arbitrary and motivated. Supreme Court, however, said that the result of the vote tomorrow will be subject to its verdict on July 11, when it will decide whether a section of MLAs from the Sena should be disqualified, as sought by Sunil Prabhu through a plea. The SC bench also allowed jailed NCP legislators Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh to participate in Maharashtra assembly floor test scheduled for tomorrow. Maharashtra plunged in to political crisis after senior Shiv Sena leader and state Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde and majority of the party legislators rebelled against the Chief Minister and Sena president, Uddhav Thackeray. In what was widely as an attempt to stave off the collapse of the government, Narhari Zirwal, the Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, issued disqualification notices to 16 rebel Sena MLAs including Shinde, on the Thackeray-led Sena’s request.