Thane:

Days ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused Uddhav Thackeray of being the reason behind the split in Shiv Sena and said that the Mahavikas Aghadi government was against Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideals while the Shiv Sena and BJP’s alliance was the right way forward.

Justifying the split in the party, Shinde said that Uddhav formed an alliance with Congress against the will of Balasaheb Thackeray just to serve his “personal interests” and hence, following the party’s discipline and to bring change, he formed a coalition with the BJP.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, speaking in the split in the party, CM Shinde said, “I was part of the Mahavikas Aghadi government, but the government that was formed, it was against Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideals. Shiv Sena and BJP’s alliance was the right way forward. However, Uddhav Thackeray’s personal interests led to an alliance with Congress, which Balasaheb never wanted.”

“As Shiv Sena workers, we followed party discipline and realized the need for change. We attempted to form a Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government but we failed and unfortunately, the loss our party and workers were bearing, we decided to listen to Maharashtra’s people, who wanted a Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Our MLAs were also tired as no work was done in their respective constituencies, hence, we changed the government and formed a new government with the coalition of BJP and Shivsena,” he added.

Lauding the Mahayuti government, CM Shinde expressed pride that this government prioritised people’s interests over personal gains. He said that the Mahayuti government restarted the projects that were stalled by the MVA regime.

Highlighting Mahayuti’s achievement, CM Shinde said that Maharashtra topped in several spheres, whether GDP, FDI, GST, or cleanliness during their regime. He added that the state attracted investments of more than Rs 5 lakh crore during their regime only.

CM Shinde said, “I’m proud and happy that we prioritized the people’s interests over personal gains. In the past two years, our government has received praise for its work…. From the very first day, we focused on farmers, workers, youth, and development projects. We restarted stalled projects like metro, bullet trains, and highways, making Maharashtra investment-friendly. Today, I proudly say we’ve attracted over Rs 5 lakh crore investments, with 72-80 per cent execution in the last two and half years. During the MVA regime, Maharashtra was in third spot, but when we came, Maharashtra topped in GDP, FDI, GST, and cleanliness. Our welfare schemes, like Ladli Bahna Yojana, etc provide stipends and free higher education to girls. We’ve achieved a lot in two years, and I’m grateful.”

When asked about opposition dubbing his government a puppet of the central government, CM Shinde said that ever since the double-engine government came to power in Maharashtra, the state has received several benefits from the centre. He said that the ‘hard work’ of the Mahayuti government has been appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Shinde said, “I’m happy that our government’s hard work in the past two years, is appreciated by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah… Modi Ji is happy with our work and whenever he comes, he gives something to the state. Our double-engine government, with the centre and state on the same page, has benefited Maharashtra… I’m committed to serving the common man, directly interacting with people, and helping those in need.”

In a veiled attack on the previous MVA regime, CM Shinde said that being a CM means serving the people and not just running the government through FaceBook Live. He emphasised that their government listens and acts and is not deaf or dumb.

“Our government prioritizes farmers, providing aid and support. We’ve allocated Rs 15,000 crores for farmers and implemented various schemes. This is the farmers’ government. I’m proud of our responsive government, listening to people’s concerns. We’re not deaf to their needs. The opposition’s allegations are unexpected, as they underestimated our capabilities. For me, being CM means serving the people, not just sitting in an office or doing Facebook Live. We’re a government that listens and acts, our government is not deaf or dumb,” he said.

The Maharashtra Assembly election is set to take place on November 20, with vote counting for all 288 constituencies scheduled for November 23.

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

Mumbai:

With half a dozen key players post splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP, a fragmented polity, Maratha quota stir and a spirited opposition, Maharashtra will see a riveting contest in the assembly polls amid dramatic changes since the last elections.

Elections to the 288-member assembly, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh (403), will be held on November 20 in a single phase and the counting of votes will be on November 23, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

The Nanded Lok Sabha by-poll, necessitated due to the death of Congress MP Vasant Chavan, will also be held on November 20.

The Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is banking on its flagship scheme, Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which poor women get a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500, to sway voters after the ruling bloc’s poor show in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Rs 46,000-crore a-year welfare scheme is being widely seen as a “game changer” for the ruling bloc which comprises the BJP, Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who joined the government just over a year ago after parting ways with his uncle Sharad Pawar.

The government’s target is to cover 2.5 crore beneficiaries under the scheme. There are about 4.5 crore women voters in Maharashtra.

The Mahayuti (grand alliance) is in a direct fight with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in a state where splits within major parties and realignments in the last five years have led to a tectonic shift in political dynamics.

The MVA consists of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by veteran politician Sharad Pawar.

Both the MVA and the Mahayuti are yet to announce their seat-sharing deals.

The ensuing assembly polls, the first since the splits in the Shiv Sena in 2022 and the NCP a year later, will be a test of strength for the two major alliances and will also indicate the ability of their individual constituents to transfer votes to each other.

Even though the Lok Sabha elections saw the ruling alliance (which won 17 of 48 seats) suffering a jolt and the opposition MVA (30 seats) performing well, the assembly polls are going to be a different political ball game as state and local-level issues will dominate campaigning.

Maharashtra’s political climate has never been more fragmented, with six main parties vying for influence: BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP).

This fragmentation is a product of recent political upheavals, including the collapse of the MVA government and the emergence of new political factions. The last five years have been unprecedented in Maharashtra politics — collapse of a pre-poll alliance, three regimes, including a three-day government, splits in two major parties with the Election Commission recognizing the breakaway groups as “real”.

The murder of former state minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique on Dussehra (October 12) raised concerns about law and order and came as an embarrassment for the Mahayuti government ahead of the polls.

The opposition was quick to target the government, especially Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, over the killing and highlight issues of public safety and governance.

In the last fortnight, the Shinde government has taken a staggering 1,500 decisions, including around 160 in state cabinet meetings. These include the toll waiver for light motor vehicles at all five entry points into Mumbai.

Despite reports that Ajit Pawar may walk out of the ruling alliance, he has stayed put. Maharashtra saw a change in government mid-way in June 2022 when the MVA government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray collapsed following a rebellion in his party Shiv Sena.

Shinde then succeeded Thackeray as Chief Minister with BJP support.

The 2019 assembly polls changed several dynamics. First, a pre-poll alliance between the Shiv Sena-BJP snapped over the issue of chief ministership. Later, Shiv Sena joined hands with its traditional rivals Congress and the NCP to form a government under Thackeray’s leadership.

Congress leader Ratnakar Mahajan said the BJP is facing erosion in its voter base, while the grand old party has gained people’s trust by raising key issues like agrarian distress, unemployment and inflation.

Mahajan asserted the Congress is not complacent after its encouraging Lok Sabha poll show — the party won 13 seats in Maharashtra — and it continues to highlight pro-people issues.

He said the collapse of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg district, poor law and order situation, Maratha quota and agrarian distress were some of the issues the opposition is highlighting.

The Maratha quota demand, an issue which hurt the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls, continues to resonate with a significant voter base, according to analysts.

In 2019, the BJP bagged 105 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while its then-ally Shiv Sena won 56. The Congress and its ally NCP contested 125 seats each and won 44 and 54, respectively.

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