In what has signalled a rift between the Shiv Sena and BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led party has come out with full-page newspaper advertisements claiming that people wish to see him as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra over BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis.
The ad reads how Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shinde have secured the highest position for Maharashtra through recent welfare projects.
The ad is headlined - “Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra” and goes on to add that it is “The Dream Team Loved by All”.
The ad has a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shinde smiling at each other while the latter is showing something on his mobile phone.
The ad does not have a photo of Fadnavis, who is the BJP’s troubleshooter in Maharashtra and the current Deputy Chief Minister.
The advertisement states that according to election surveys, 30.2 per cent of citizens of Maharashtra prefer BJP while 16.2 per cent of people prefer Shiv Sena led by Shinde.
“These numbers show that a total of 46.4 per cent people of Maharashtra trust the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena alliance for development of the state,” it said.
However, what stunned Maharashtra’s political circles is the claim - “Moreover, as per the surveys done for the Chief Minister’s position, 26.1 per cent people of Maharashtra desire Eknath Shinde and 23.2 per cent of the people wish to see Devendra Fadnavis as the next Chief Minister.”
The survey, according to the ad, is an “undeniable proof” that 49.3 per cent of the people of Maharashtra wish to see a strong alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena for their state’s leadership.
The advertisement comes days ahead of the anniversary of the rebellion in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, after which Shinde and Fadnavis became the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said not much importance should be attached to it. “Both the parties are together and working to take the state ahead. Such advertisements or surveys have no value, as the people of the state decide who is more popular, which would be known after the elections. However, one thing is clear is that people like Modi ji, Devendra ji and Shinde ji,” he said.
On his part, Shinde denied any oneupmanship among the allies and its leaders. “Our government is a people’s government. We are not working for chair…we are working for the state,” said Shinde.
Fadnavis skips Kolhapur trip
A visibly upset Fadnavis has refused to comment on the issue, but has clearly snubbed Shinde by cancelling his visit to Kolhapur. The duo were to go to Kolhapur together, but it was only Shinde who went there. Shinde and Fadnavis met together at the weekly Cabinet meeting held at Sahyadri guest house. As he was emerging out of the meeting, when reporters sought to meet him, Fadnavis smiled with folded hands and gestured that he would not speak.
“Both Shinde and Fadnavis were to go to Kolhapur. However, Fadnavis could not make it as doctors have advised him not to fly because of problems in ear,” said state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai.
The background
The background of the Shiv Sena vs BJP episode stems from the issue of seat-sharing between the two saffron alliance partners in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In fact, a section of BJP is claiming the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat in the Thane district neighbouring Mumbai. Incidentally, the seat is represented by Dr Shrikant Shinde, the son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Recently in Dombivli, some BJP leaders have met Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan where local leaders have reportedly said that they would not support Shrikant Shinde, a second-term MP. This has not gone down well with the father-son duo. The junior Shinde has expressed his resentment over the issue.