Nagpur:

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said his party will contest the upcoming elections to the various local bodies alone. Talking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP said the INDIA bloc and Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances were for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

“In an alliance, workers of individual parties don’t get opportunities, and it hampers organisational growth. We will contest polls to the Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and other municipal corporations, zilla parishads and panchayats on our strength,” he said.

He said party chief Uddhav Thackeray gave the party indications that it should go alone.

Hitting out at Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for indulging in a blame game over the MVA’s defeat in the state assembly, Raut said those who don’t believe in consensus and compromise have no right to be in an alliance.

He further claimed that the INDIA bloc did not hold a single meeting after the Lok Sabha elections.

“We were not able to appoint even a convenor for INDIA bloc. It isn’t good. As the largest party of the alliance, it was the Congress’s responsibility to convene a meeting,” the Sena (UBT) leader said.

Reacting to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s remark that he has never mentioned farm loan waivers in his speeches, Raut said, “Even if he hasn’t spoken about it. Farm loan waiver and Rs 2,100 for Laadki Bahin beneficiaries are mentioned in the BJP’s poll manifesto. These two promises have to be implemented. He is the finance minister in the BJP government, and he will have to do it.” To a query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during his first podcast that he is human and can make mistakes, Raut said, “He (Modi) is god. I don’t consider him a human. God is god. If someone declares him an incarnation of god, how can he be a human? He is the 13th avatar of Vishnu. If someone who has been considered god says he is human, something is wrong. There is chemical ‘locha’.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

The men suspected to be conducting a recce of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s bungalow here on Friday morning were found to be testing the mobile network for a telecom company, police said.

Two men on a motorcycle were seen outside the Sena (UBT) leader’s bungalow ‘Maitri’ in Bhandup area around 9.30 am.

Finding it suspicious, some people waiting outside the bungalow alerted Sanjay Raut’s younger brother, MLA Sunil Raut.

A team of Kanjurmarg police station soon reached the spot and launched a probe.

CCTV footage showed the men lingering there for some time before leaving.

It eventually turned out that they were employees of ‘Cellplan’ and ‘Insta ICT’, and conducting “test drive” for Jio Mobile network, said a police release late at night.

Police contacted the concerned firms and confirmed that they were their employees, it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

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.

#WATCH | Delhi: Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis today, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, “Shinde era is over, it was just for two years. His usage is now over and he has been tossed aside. Shinde will never be the CM of this… pic.twitter.com/4kyySN4uEZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2024

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.

New Delhi:

With leads pointing to a rout for his party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that there is something amiss (‘gadbad’) in the election and said that the projected results are not acceptable to the opposition coalition. He also called for elections to be held again, using ballot papers.

The BJP has hit back, saying that the Rajya Sabha MP suffers from mental bankruptcy.

As of 11.30 am, the ruling Mahayuti, consisting of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, was ahead in 220 of Maharashtra’s 288 seats. The Mahayuti, which has the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) as its constituents, was projected to win just 56. Even the Shiv Sena (UBT) scion, Aaditya Thackeray, was trailing Milind Deora of the rival Sena faction by 600 votes. 

If the numbers hold, it will be an unprecedented victory for the Mahayuti, and Mr Raut said this was one of the reasons he felt that the numbers were suspect.

“There is definitely something amiss,” the Rajya Sabha MP said, but refused to elaborate on whether he was referring to electronic voting machines or something else. 

“A money machine was installed in every constituency. Eknath Shinde was saying that he would resign if any of his sitting MLAs lost. Does this happen in any election? What kind of confidence and what kind of a democracy is this? Does anyone get more than 200 seats? There has been dishonesty (‘beimani’) in the state. The results are such that you have implied that the voters of the state are dishonest; the voters of this state are not dishonest,” Mr Raut thundered. 

Asked whether his party would accept the results, he said, “No, and I think even the people will not accept the results. I am saying again and again that this cannot be the people’s verdict… How is it possible for Eknath Shinde’s faction to get 60 seats, for Ajit Pawar to get 40 seats and for the BJP to win 125 seats?”

In a post on X later, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader repeated the charges and also called for elections to be held again, using ballot papers. 

As of 11.30 am, the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde was leading in 54 seats – just two lower than the undivided party’s tally in 2019 – while the Shiv Sena (UBT) was ahead in 20. 

Hitting out at Mr Raut, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the opposition cries foul and begins raising questions about EVMs whenever the results are not in its favour.

“Sanjay Raut suffers from mental bankruptcy and no one takes him seriously in Maharashtra. The results in Wayanad (where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is winning) are fine… the INDIA alliance feels that they will win in Jharkhand and the EVMs are fine there, EVMs were fine in Jammu and Kashmir. But there is something amiss in Haryana and  Maharashtra. Whenever they (opposition parties) lose an election or a case in court, they start abusing EVMs, the Election Commission and courts,” Mr Poonawalla sneered. 

Mumbai:

Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had stopped the party’s expansion outside Maharashtra on a request by Atal Bihari Vajpayee — former Prime Minister and one of the BJP’s tallest leaders — Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut has told NDTV in an exclusive interview, recalling a phase of mutual respect between the party and erstwhile ally BJP. The Sena, at the time, was ready to become a national party and had taken steps to do so, but after a phone call, it was put it on hold, Mr Raut said. 

“We had an alliance with the BJP. Especially after the Ayodhya movement, there was a wave for Balasaheb in Hindi-speaking states. We were also going to contest the elections in 1992. We were getting good support,” he said. 

“Balasaheb Thackeray was the leader of Hindus. He had become a superstar, but when he announced that he wished to contest elections, he got a call from Atal-ji. He was told that ‘Balasaheb, if you contest the elections, our votes will get divided. Once again, we will suffer a loss’,” Mr Raut recalled.  

After this Balasaheb decided that the party would not contest elections in other states. 

“Balasaheb told us that Atal-ji had called us, we should respect him, so we will not contest the elections. Had we had contested elections, 10-15 of our leaders would have got elected from outside Maharashtra,” he added. 

Even now, workers join the party in other states, but there is no leader, Mr Raut said. Uddhav Thackeray, he added, wants the party to expand. 

Mr Raut’s comments come ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, when the Sena and the BJP, allies for decades, have split and the BJP is said to have engineered a split in the party and came to power alongside the rebel faction led by Eknath Shinde.

Mr Shinde, currently the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has been fighting for the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray, portraying Sena UBT chief and Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray as one who has turned his back on the Sena ideology to gain power. 

Mumbai:

Hitting out at the opposition in Maharashtra after Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Arvind Sawant made a derogatory remark against her, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Shaina NC has said while the MP has apologised, another leader from the party, Sanjay Raut has justified the statement, revealing his “mentality”.

A day after a case was registered against Mr Sawant on the complaint of Shaina NC, who is the Shiv Sena candidate from South Mumbai’s Mumbadevi Assembly constituency, the MP apologised for the remark, saying it had been distorted. Speaking on the same day, Sanjay Raut, who is also a Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and a member of the Rajya Sabha, defended the statement, claiming the candidate from Mumbadevi had come from outside and was thus ‘imported’. He also pointed out that Shaina NC had switched from the BJP to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. 

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Shaina NC said, “Arvind Sawant called me ‘imported maal (goods)’ and the Mumbadevi MLA, Amin Patel, was smiling. Would Amin Patel have made this remark for his sister or wife? I want to ask the Uddhav Sena about Sanjay Raut’s statement that there is no need to apologise because I am imported. My family has been working in South Mumbai for three generations, I have also shown proof that I campaigned for Arvind Sawant between 2014 and 2019. I was your ‘Ladki Bahin’ then and have become ‘imported maal‘ now?”

“Mr Raut, if you don’t have any objection to words like ‘maal’, it shows your mentality. It is surprising that Mr Sawant apologised after 30 hours but Mr Raut is saying nothing wrong was said. So, what is the official stand of the ‘Maha Vinash Aghadi’ (a play on the opposition coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi)? What is the stand of Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray,” she asked.

Shaina NC said with the Assembly elections due on November 20, discussions should be about the work that was done.

“The apology was made after a case was registered. Using the word ‘maal’ is objectification and it means that I am someone’s property, which I am not,” Shaina NC said, and went on to list schemes like ‘Ladki Bahin’ introduced for women under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 

Earlier in the day, Arvind Sawant had said, “I have always been at the forefront of giving women their due respect. My remarks were distorted and I was deliberately targeted. This hurt me. Still, if my comments hurt anybody’s sentiments, I regret them and apologise. In my 55 years of public life, I have never insulted women”

Sanjay Raut, however, defended the remark. “There has been no insult. Arvind Sawant is our senior MP. He just said that the BJP candidate from Mumbadevi (Shaina NC) has come from outside… If she is an ‘imported maal’, how is this an insult to women… What did you say about Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi? You should go through history once…If a person from outside contests elections, people say that they have come from outside…There is no need to create such a big issue,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole today said that he was “friends” with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut amid reports of tension between the two allies.

“I am friends with Sanjay Raut. I don’t understand why people create disputes between us,” said Mr Patole at NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event.

Terse remarks by Mr Patole and Mr Raut amid the delay in the seat-sharing announcement for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra triggered the rift buzz.

To a veiled swipe of Sanjay Raut where he said the Congress leaders are “not capable of taking decisions”, Mr Patole shot back, “If Sanjay Raut is controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue. We have the responsibility of telling the reality of our leaders and we are doing that. We do not want to speak anything on what Sanjay Raut does.”

Other Congress leaders, however, played down the statements insisting that talks were going smoothly.

During the event, Mr Patole also addressed the impasse between the opposition alliance in Maharashtra – Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – over some seats.

“Congress is a national party, and national parties have to handle things carefully. Regional parties have their demands and dreams of growth, which is acceptable. Congress played a crucial role in allocating seats based on merit, aiming for a majority government in Maharashtra. We are still working towards it,” he said.

“Discussions for 5-10 seats are still pending, and we’ll resolve this issue. After October 30, we’ll gather again to find a solution. We have decided to contest elections as MVA. No conflicts arose during seat allocation. Efforts are continuing to resolve pending seat allocation issues,” he added.

The 61-year-old had earlier revealed its seat-sharing arrangement for 255 of 288 constituencies in Maharashtra. He said that each alliance partner – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) – will be contesting 85 seats each.

When he was asked by the chief minister face of the opposition alliance, he said, “As per Rahul Gandhi’s vision, the priority is to save Maharashtra first. Once we do that, the MVA leaders will decide on the Chief Minister.”

Earlier, speaking at NDTV Marathi’s Election Conclave, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took a dig at the opposition, and said, “Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not announcing Chief Minister face as they don’t think their Chief Minister can come after elections.”

The ruling alliance, however, has also not named its chief minister face yet.

Mr Fadnavis said that the ruling Mahayuti does not need to announce the candidate for the chief ministerial post, as Eknath Shinde is the incumbent Chief Minister: “Who will become Chief Minister is announced after the elections. We are three major parties, CM Eknath Shinde is chief of Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar is chief of NCP and our (BJP) Parliamentary board will decide who will be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But we are not worried because we have our Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde who is leading our government.”

Maharashtra will vote on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.

The BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena won 56, and the Congress secured 44 seats in the 2019 Maharashtra elections. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, while the Shiv Sena won 63 and the Congress 42.

New Delhi:

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said the party will “rise from the ashes like a phoenix” despite the now Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led split robbing the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena name and symbol and many leaders walking away.

Speaking at the NDTV Marathi Conclave on Sunday, Mr Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s manifesto for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections will be released after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits the state on November 4. He added that the coalition – comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP – would look at putting the state’s finances in order, battling corruption and the law and order problem and bringing stability to the state.

“Maharashtra’s industries have moved out and youth have lost their jobs. State leaders are being murdered and prisoners in jail are challenging law and order,” he said, in an apparent reference to the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique and the alleged involvement of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang.

Mr Raut accused the Election Commission of partiality towards the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the fight for party names and symbols. “The father of the NCP party was sitting in front of the Election Commission, but they gave it to another person. We had demanded justice for us. Today, our symbol case is in the the Supreme Court for two-and-a-half years. They have allowed an unconstitutional government to function in the state. Removing the blindfold of the God of Justice does not mean that everything is going according to the Constitution,” he said.

The Rajya Sabha MP also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the Ladli Bahana Yojana in Jharkhand and Rajasthan, a version of which was implemented in Maharashtra as the Ladki Bahin Yojana. “In states where the BJP government is ruling, Modi praises the scheme. These are double standards. Women should start small industries, and should be made to stand on their own feet. People will get used to the scheme and the next government will have to do the same,” he said.

Denying any dispute among the Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents, Mr Raut said the coalition will win at least 20 of 36 Assembly seats in the Mumbai region. A solution for the dispute on 4-5 seats will be found soon, he added, while asserting that Eknath Shinde will not lead Maharashtra. When asked who are the top chief ministerial contenders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Mr Raut said, “First, Uddhav Thackeray. Second, Uddhav Thackeray. Third, Uddhav Thackeray.”

Mumbai:

They are arch-rivals in Maharashtra’s political arena, taking swipes and unleashing barbs at each other as the state gears up for the November 20 Assembly election. But in a rare moment of political bonhomie, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shook hands and exchanged laughs at the NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event today. The two leaders also posed for a photograph, and Mr Fadnavis quipped, “(This is) the photo of the year.”

The 288 Assembly segments of the Maharashtra will vote on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23.

Maharashtra’s political landscape has completely changed between the 2019 state polls and the upcoming election. In 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance scored a thumping victory. The alliance fell through due to a disagreement over rotational chief ministership. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray then tied up with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Congress to form the government. This government was toppled two years later due to a mutiny led by Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who then became Chief Minister with BJP’s support. The Sena split and the NCP followed. Currently, the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are part of the ruling coalition. They are up against the alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

The BJP-Sena-NCP alliance suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, winning just 17 of the 48 seats in the politically significant state. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, on the other hand, put up a stellar show by winning 30 seats.

In this election, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine is looking to recover from the Lok Sabha polls setback, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Sena (UBT), NCP and the Congress is going all-out to wrest power and script a comeback story.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has said “traitors” from the party who cross-voted in the recent elections to 11 legislative council seats have been identified and will be punished.

“The same “traitors” had ensured the defeat of the Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in the council elections two years ago,” Mr. Patole claimed on July 13.

“A trap was laid this time and they have been identified. They will be punished so that no one dares to betray the party again,” Mr. Patole told reporters in Mumbai, without taking any name.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, while talking to reporters on July 14, said the Congress has accepted that cross-voting took place and they will take action accordingly.

“The Central government is going to observe the imposition of Emergency as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’. Isn’t it unconstitutional to get MLCs elected by MLAs who are facing disqualification? Isn’t it unconstitutional to purchase MLAs by bribing them? BJP is the real murderer of the Constitution,” Mr. Raut alleged.

Following a split in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) had moved court seeking disqualification of MLAs of the parties led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

The ruling ‘Mahyuti’ in the State, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, the BJP and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP, on July 12 won all the nine seats it contested in the biennial elections to 11 seats in the legislative council.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a setback as a candidate backed by Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) lost. At least seven Congress MLAs defied the party’s directive while voting, results showed.

“The Congress, which has 37 MLAs, had fixed a quota of 30 first preference votes for its candidate Pradyna Satav, and seven remaining votes were to go to Milind Narvekar, candidate of the ally Shiv Sena (UBT),” party sources earlier said.

Eventually, Mr. Satav got 25 and Narvekar 22 first preference votes, which meant at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted. Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP), supported by the NCP (SP), lost.

The 288-member legislative Assembly, with current strength of 274, was the electoral college for the council polls. Each winning candidate required 23 votes.

The BJP is the largest party in the Assembly with 103 members, followed by the Shiv Sena-38, NCP- 42, Congress-37, Shiv Sena (UBT)-15 and NCP (SP)-10.