Eknath Shinde elected as Sena's house leader, Aaditya Thackeray proposes name
Mumbai: The newly-elected Shiv Sena MLAs on Thursday elected senior leader Eknath Shinde as leader of the party's legislative wing. Sunil Prabhu was elected as chief whip of the party in the Maharashtra legislature.
Shinde, MLA from neighbouring Thane, was the leader of house in the previous term as well, besides being a cabinet minister in the BJP-Sena government.
First-time MLA and Thackeray family scion Aaditya tabled the motion to elect Shinde as the leader of house. Pratap Sarnaik seconded the motion.
Sena sources said party chief and Aaditya's father Uddhav Thackeray was not keen to appoint his son as the head of the Sena's legislative unit. Uddhav Thackeray was present at the meeting held at the Sena headquarters in Dadar.
It was also attended by some of the independents who have extended support to the party which is locked in a tussle with the ally BJP post- October 21 Maharashtra elections, seeking equal sharing of the power.
The Sena has won 56 seats against the BJP's 105. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has claimed that seven independents are supporting it.
Meanwhile, senior Sena leaders will meet governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari this afternoon, party sources said.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
