Eknath Shinde led the mutiny that the split Uddhav Thackeray's party in 2022
Taking a swipe at his estranged brother-in-arms Eknath Shinde as the new Mahayuti government preps to take the oath, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the "Shinde era is over" and he would "never be Chief Minister again". The Rajya Sabha MP also warned that BJP could break Shinde's party, formed after his mutiny split Shiv Sena and catapulted him to the Chief Minister post.
Mr Shinde is set to take oath as Deputy Chief Minister this evening in the new Mahayuti government helmed by Devendra Fadnavis. The decision follows nearly two weeks of suspense after the BJP-led alliance scored a massive victory in the Maharashtra election. The win was followed by suspense as the Sena stressed that Mr Shinde be allowed to continue as Chief Minister, and the BJP refused. Eventually, Mr Shinde blinked and said he would not be an obstacle in government formation and would accept any decision taken by the BJP leadership. The suspense then shifted to whether he would accept the Deputy post, till a Sena leader confirmed that he would.
On a question linked to Mr Fadnavis' remark that he would run the government along with Mr Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, Mr Raut said, "Shinde era is over. It was for two years. His purpose has been served and he has been tossed aside. He will never be the Chief Minister of this state again. They can even break Shinde's party. This has always been BJP's line in politics, they finish the parties who work with them."
The mutiny led by Mr Shinde in 2022 brought down the Uddhav Thackeray government of Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress. The Sena leader then joined hands with the BJP and formed the government. The Uddhav Thackeray faction was given the name Shiv Sena (UBT). In this state election, the Mahayuti scored 230, with the BJP winning 132 seats, the Shinde-led Sena 57 and NCP 41.
Mr Raut said that despite the Mahayuti having a majority, there was a delay in government formation. "It means something wrong within their party or Mahayuti. This issue will start showing from tomorrow. They are not working in the interest of Maharashtra or the country. They have come together out of their selfishness. But people across the state have come out on the streets against the election results, that they do not accept it. Still, the state is getting the Chief Minister today, we welcome him," he said.
The Opposition bloc of Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and the NCP, have raised questions on the EVM voting method after the poll results that they described as "shocking", especially months after their good show in the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP has junked these allegations, citing the Opposition bloc's victory in the Jharkhand polls held alongside the Maharashtra election.