The Hindu : Front Page : Kadam is Sena legislative wing leader

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

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Front Page

Kadam is Sena legislative wing leader

Arunkumar Bhatt

51 MLAs turn up at official meeting, Shiv Sena wins trial of strength

Rane seemed to be left with only two supporters

Party leaders to parade MLAs before Speaker

MUMBAI: At a meeting of the Shiv Sena here on Wednesday, 51 of 62 MLAs turned up and elected Ramdas Kadam as the leader of the party's legislative wing. He replaces Narayan Rane, who has been expelled from the party.

Mr. Kadam, who has been a member of the party since its inception in 1966, was a Minister of State for Home in the Rane Ministry.

Mr. Gajanan Kirtikar, party whip, said that nine legislators had conveyed their inability to attend the meeting due to personal reasons but extended their support to the organisation. Three legislators, considered close to Mr. Rane, turned up.

The party leaders decided to parade the MLAs present before Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar at his residence. Mr. Rane seemed to be left with only Vinayak Nimhane, whom he had appointed the chief whip in place of Mr. Kirtikar, and Kalidas Kolamkar. The meeting passed a resolution to serve show-cause notice on the two. Mr. Rane had claimed that over 20 MLAs were with him — one third of the group necessary to split the Party.

Earlier, a senior functionary of the Shiv Sena, Subhash Desai, had warned that those who attend the meeting called by Mr. Rane on Friday would stand disqualified.

That the party would be able to nip the Rane rebellion in the bud became clear on Tuesday night when 100 of 101 Sena councillors of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation turned up at a special meeting, disproving the claim of the Rane group that as many as 40 of them were with it.

Bal Thackeray's call

This meeting was attended by Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray, who asked them to work hard to ensure the party's victory in the civic election of 2007. He asked them not to worry about the crisis in the party and leave it to him.

The Shiv Sena's principal power base is Mumbai, particularly the civic body, and Mr. Rane had threatened to attack there stating "no anti-defection law is applicable in the municipal corporation."

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