All Sena MLAs lodged in Mumbai hotel

Mumbai: Not willing to take any chances from potential poachers, the Shiv Sena has decided to shift all its 65 legislators to a private sea-facing hotel in suburban Bandra till the state political crisis is resolved, party sources said here on Thursday.

The legislators, who are from Mumbai and different parts of Maharashtra, are expected to be lodged at the Hotel Rangsharda near the Bandstand in Bandra West.

Contrary to speculation in some quarters, the legislators would not be herded in a five-star hotel, but a modest and comfortable hotel at a convenient location.

The hotel is barely a couple of kms from Sena President Uddhav Thackeray's residence in Bandra East, around 4 km from Shiv Sena Bhavan, 16 km from Raj Bhavan and 19 km from the Vidhan Bhavan.

When questioned on the move, Sena MP Sanjay Raut denied that any of their legislators would be susceptible to poaching while BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar expressed similar sentiments over his party's elected representatives.

Meanwhile, adopting a firm stance against possible deserters, the Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have unofficially reached an understanding that in case any legislator from their respective parties defects, he/she would be defeated by them unitedly in the next elections.

It is reliably learnt that groups of Shiv Sainiks and activists of the Congress-NCP are keeping 24x7 tabs on the movements, activities and visitors of their respective legislators in a bid to prevent anybody from crossing over to the BJP.