How could I seek confidence vote from 'traitors': Uddhav Thackeray

Soon after the Supreme Court verdict, former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday asked how he could "seek the vote of confidence from 'traitors' who had betrayed".

To a pointed query on the SC's observations that if the then CM had not quit, the court could have reinstated him, Thackeray said: "Maybe my decision was erroneous... But how could I ask for the vote of confidence of the very same 'traitors' who had betrayed me?"

However, on all other counts, the SC has made strong observations on the manner in which his government was toppled, including the role of the Governor.

Thackeray has also demanded that if the present government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has any ethics left after the SC verdict, "then it should immediately resign, just as I had done (in June 2022)".

The Shiv Sena (UBT) president added that they would now urge the Speaker Rahul Narwekar to take up the matter of the disqualification of the 16 MLAs, including Shinde, and decide on priority.