Sunday, July 10 2005 16:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Claiming that supporters of Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray would be 'victorious', Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray today (July 10, 2005) said the proposed move by expelled leader Narayan Rane to seek disqualification of 25 Sena MLAs for not attending the Sena Legislature Party (SLP) meet convened by him as the Leader of Opposition, would not succeed.

"We are consulting legal luminaries including Soli Sorabjee on the issue and I am confident that we will emerge victorious... We have the (required) number", Uddhav told reporters in Mumbai at a suburban hotel where his supporters are 'guarding' 51 party MLAs being lodged there for the last four days.

Uddhav said he has met the MLAs staying at the hotel and enquired about their well being. "They are all fine and reports that they were being deprived of basic amenities are baseless".

Ramdas Kadam, who was recently elected leader of the Sena group in the Assembly by Thackeray supporters, would meet BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders today to discuss the strategy of the alliance for the monsoon session of State legislature beginning tomorrow (July 11, 2005), he said.

On Friday (July 8, 2005), of the 63 Sena members in the Assembly, only ten had attended the SLP meeting, convened by Rane, who had also claimed that 26 more legislators have extended their support to him on phone as they were being kept captive by the Uddhav group.