Amid the rumours of a rift in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, the Congress on Saturday waded in, claiming that something major is going to happen in the coming days, which may leave Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in shock. This comes amid reports of rifts between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis. Shinde’s non-attendance at key government meetings has further fuelled the speculations.
Shinde’s latest statement appeared to be killing two birds with one arrow. Speaking to media on Friday, he said, “Do not take me lightly. I have already said this to those who have taken me lightly. I am a normal party worker, but I am a worker of Bala Saheb, and everyone should understand this.”
Reacting to Shinde’s statement, State Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil said, “Devendra Fadnavis is slowly putting an end to the tenders issued by Eknath Shinde and the policies passed by him… It seems that something major will happen in the coming days in Maharashtra politics, which may shock Devendra Fadnavis.”
#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra | On Maharashtra Dy CM Eknath Shinde’s statement, State Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil says, “… Devendra Fadnavis is slowly putting an end to the tenders issued by Eknath Shinde and the policies passed by him… It seems that… https://t.co/7yK3rCHfZw pic.twitter.com/Gk6Lbz8PYY
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025
On Friday, the Deputy CM also said that when he was taken lightly in 2022, he overturned the incumbent government. Shinde rebelled against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in 2022 to join hands with the BJP, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Sena-Congress-NCP government.
Shinde was notably absent from three key government events in the state, which were attended by CM Devendra Fadnavis. He did not attend the unveiling of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Badlapur, Thane district, the Maratha king’s birth anniversary celebrations at the historic Agra Fort, or the inauguration of the second phase of the Shivsrushti theme park in Ambegaon Budruk.
These events further fuelled speculation about tensions within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.
“In my first speech in the Vidhan Sabha, I said that Devendra Fadnavis and I would get more than 200 seats together, and we got 232 seats. That is why you should not take me lightly. Those who want to understand this hint should understand it as I will continue doing my work,” said Shinde without naming anyone.
When Did It All Start?
Eknath Shinde was reportedly unhappy as he was demoted to Deputy Chief Minister after the Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections last year. Devendra Fadnavis, who was Dy CM before the polls, was elevated to the CM post. While Shinde was sulking over the issue, the recent removal of Y-security of Sena MLAs has reportedly furthered the rift.