"Match fixing": Sanjay Raut ahead of the verdict on Shiv Sena MLA disqualification case

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 10 : Ahead of the verdict in the Shiv Sena MLA disqualification case, Shiv Sena (UBT faction) leader Sanjay Raut questioned the timing of an upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Alleging that PM Modi is "well aware" of the verdict in advance, Raut said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is "illegally" running the government.
"Match fixing... is going to happen in Maharashtra today at 4 pm. The Maharashtra Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) is illegally running the government. For us, that is a crime. He is an accused," Raut said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In cricket terminology, match fixing is when the outcome of a match in organised sports has been manipulated.
He also questioned the timing of the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
"He is scheduled to visit Maharashtra on January 12. He will hold a road show in Nasik. What does it signify? When you know today is the verdict,. PM is still coming to the state after two days. That means PM Modi is well aware of the verdict in advance," he alleged.
"That is why he is so confident that the government is going to stay. He PM (Modi) know the verdict," Raut further alleged
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court extended till January 10 the time for the Speaker to pronounce verdict on disqualification petitions against MLAs including Shinde.
The disqualification pleas have been pending since the Maharashtra political crises started. The plea sought direction for the Speaker to decide disqualification petitions within a time-bound manner.
On May 11, a five-judge Constitution bench had held that it could not disqualify the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government and reinstate Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minster because the latter had chosen to resign instead of facing a test of strength in the Assembly.
On June 29, 2022, the top court gave a go-ahead to the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on June 30. It had refused to stay the Maharashtra Governor's direction to the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority support on the floor of the House on June 30.
In August 2022, the top court's three-judge bench referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for the issues involved in the petition filed by rival groups of Shiv Sena about the Maharashtra political crisis.
After the apex court's order, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as the Chief Minister and Eknath Shinde was later sworn in as the Chief Minister.