Maharashtra Assembly: CM Eknath Shinde wins trust vote with 164-99 margin

The new Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra prevailed in the floor test on Monday by a margin of 164 to 99, demonstrating the majority of his government and solidifying his position as the state's chief minister.

Today’s floor test was held during the special two-day session of the Legislative Assembly that began on Sunday.

A total of three members abstained from voting.

Soon after the Trust Vote ended, Shiv Sena leader and earlier whip Sunil Prabhu raised the issue of whip but Speaker interrupted him and asked him to sit and said that everything had already been recorded.

Shiv Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray arrived in the House just minutes before the doors were locked for a head count. 

Former Congress ministers Vijay Wadettiwar and Ashok Chavan were absent from the House and will therefore be unable to cast a vote. Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik both skipped the House's voting session.

Rahul Narvekar, speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, had earlier granted the opposition's request and started the voting process for the trust vote.

The trust vote was proposed by BJP’s Sudhir Mungantiwar and Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale. After a voice vote, on proposal of trust vote, opposition members demanded a division of vote.

Just prior to the trust vote, Santosh Bangar and Shyamsundar Shinde, two Uddhav Thackeray faction MLAs, switched allegiances.

Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30.