BJP vs Sena Battle Taking Shape? The Maharashtra politics is turning interesting with the rift widening within the ruling Mahayuti. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has already been sulking with the BJP and CM Devendra Fadnavis and now, a fresh decision of the CM is likely to widen the rift. Notably, Shinde was demoted as Dy Chief Minister following the victory of the Mahayuti in the November 2024 assembly elections. Shinde, who served as CM between 2022 and 2024, had made his dissent very clear delaying the government formation. While he agreed to take a junior role with Fadnavis as CM.
Reportedly, two major decisions of the Mahayuti government further aggravated Shinde’s disagreement. Earlier, Shinde was not accommodated in the State Disaster Management Authority and the rule was changed to onboard him following outrage. Later, the Y-security cover was withdrawn from many Maharashtra MLAs including Shiv Sena MLAs, thus further upsetting Shinde.
Last week, the Chief Minister’s Office initiated an inquiry into a halted Rs 900-crore housing project in Jalna, which was approved for revival in 2023 by the then Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. Additionally, earlier this month, the state canceled a Rs 1,400-crore BMC tender related to solid waste collection, slum passage cleaning, and drainage and toilet maintenance. This tender was originally issued during Shinde’s tenure as Chief Minister.
Now, the Fadnavis-led government has flagged irregularities in a decision taken by the previous administration headed by Deputy CM Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
On February 17, the Devendra Fadnavis government highlighted issues in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) schemes and the selection of agencies for crop procurement. To address this, a panel was formed to create a clear policy.
The decision, led by the state’s Marketing Ministry under BJP’s Jaykumar Rawal, came after complaints of irregularities and reports of procurement agencies demanding money. These agencies had been approved by the previous government for purchasing crops under the Centre’s PM-AASHA scheme.
State officials have stated that the order questions the decisions made during the previous government when Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar was in charge of the Marketing Ministry, according to a report by The Indian Express.
With Eknath Shinde last week issuing a veiled ‘don’t take me lightly’ remark where he added that the last time when he was taken lightly, he rendered a government change in the state. Eknath Shinde has already been skipping several key government meetings and has recently set up parallel relief cells, signalling that he won’t bow down.
The Shiv Sena is unhappy with Fadnavis for not granting their request for the Guardian Minister positions in Nashik and Raigad districts. Meanwhile, Shinde’s party has established a Deputy Chief Minister’s Medical Relief Aid Cell at the Maharashtra secretariat, similar to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Additionally, the Shinde-led Sena has launched its own project coordination cell, separate from the CM’s war room.
Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.
