Maharashtra political crisis: Missing Sena MLA Nitin Deshmuk resurfaces affirming support for Uddhav Thackeray

Deshmukh claimed that he was kidnapped and taken to Surat but he escaped from there, according to media reports.

"I escaped and was standing on the road at around 3 in the morning trying to hitch a ride from passersby when over a hundred cops came and took me to a hospital. They pretended that I had a heart attack and tried to conduct some medical procedure on my body," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Deshmukh's wife had filed a missing person's complaint with the police.

He said he did not suffer any health complications but was forcibly taken to hospital.

Nitin Deshmukh represents Balapur Assembly constituency. His wife Pranjali said she was able to speak to her husband till 7 pm on June 20 but couldn't get in touch with him after that as his phone was switched off.

She had filed a complaint in Akola police station where she said she feared that her husband's life might be under threat.

Earlier, of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, at least 48 were not reachable on Wednesday as rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with his "loyal" MLAs arrived in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam earlier in the day.

Amid the fast changing political scenario as the ruling coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi's troubles deepened, Aditya Thackeray, who is environmental minister in the MVA government, removed his "minister profile" from his Twitter bio fuelling further speculations.

After landing at 6.30 am at the Guwahati airport, Shinde spoke to reporters.

He claimed he has support of 40 Shiv Sena MLAs and six Independents, and they will carry forward Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology of Hindutva.

"We have not left Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena and will not leave it," he said.

The Shinde brigade was received by BJP leaders Sushanta Borgohain and Pallab Lochan Das.

Rebel Shiv Sena legislators, who are camping at Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati, are holding a meeting to finalise their next course of action, sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said Shinde has written to the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari for a meeting to display his strength to form the government.

They said while the legislators could stay for three days in the hotel in the Assam city, the scenario could also change once Shinde is sure that he has the numbers to effect a change of government.

There were reports he could take a special flight by evening to meet P S Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa who has been given additional charge of Maharashtra after Koshyari was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Wednesday.

It was reliably learnt that Pillai already gave his consent to Shinde for a video conference where the rebel leader could show his support of strength to form the government.

(With UNI inputs)