Maharashtra’s political landscape has been uncertain with no party having a clear majority. The multi-party alliance appears to suggest an uncertain government at the helm. There have been reports of rifts within the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde has been avoiding meetings being held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and has been running a parallel process conducting similar meetings. However, Shiv Sena is claiming that all is well within the alliance.
Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande said on Wednesday that there are attempts to find something that suggests some discord in the Mahayuti. She said that people should not read between the lines unnecessarily. “The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) had a meeting and the Deputy Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) had a program that he is going somewhere in Konkan. There is nothing to draw any different meaning from this,” she said. According to reports, Shinde has been sulking since he was demoted to the Deputy CM post. The Mahayuti government’s decision to scrap Y-security from many MLAs including that of Shiv Sena and a probe against alleged irregularity in a department headed by Shiv Sena in previous tenure have added fuel to the fire.
While Eknath Shinde has issued a veiled warning that he shouldn’t be taken ‘lightly’, its rival faction Shiv Sena-UBT led by Uddhav Thackeray is heaping praise on CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav) praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in its mouthpiece Saamana while taking a dig at Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. The editorial stated that Fadnavis has taken a firm stand against wrongdoing in the state and has begun the process of cleaning up corrupt activities that took place under Shinde’s tenure as CM.
According to Saamana, Fadnavis made a bold decision by stripping ministers of the power to appoint their personal staff, such as OSDs (Officer on Special Duty) and PSs (Private Secretaries), to ensure discipline. Out of the 16 names proposed by ministers for these positions, Fadnavis directly rejected all of them, citing their involvement in corruption and lobbying under the previous Shinde-led government. The report claims that 12 of these 16 individuals were recommended by ministers from the Shinde faction. It questioned why ministers needed such “fixers” in the first place.
In the Saamana article, Sena-UBT said claimed that in response to Fadnavis’ strict measures, Shinde reportedly met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Pune at 4 AM to complain. He allegedly told Shah that Fadnavis was undermining his authority and that if legislators and MPs were sidelined, it would impact the party’s survival. However, Saamana emphasized that Modi’s stance remains firm on eradicating corruption.
Responding to Shinde’s “lightly” remark, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar stated that it was unclear whom the comment was aimed at. As the Shinde vs Fadnavis saga unfolds, Ajit Pawar has been busy doing his work and watching the developments closely. So far, Pawar has avoided making any statement or gesture that may aggravate the situation.
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