Sharpening the dig at Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut made the sharp remark at the very time when the new government in Maharashtra was to finally take shape. As Fadnavis prepares to take the oath as Deputy Chief Minister, Raut announces that Shinde’s political career is over and added, “He will never be Chief Minister again.” Raut also claimed that the BJP might eventually disintegrate Shinde’s faction, which had broken away from the Shiv Sena during the 2022 mutiny.
New Government Formation: Shinde Resigns as Chief Minister
The new Mahayuti government will be headed by the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, marking a culmination to weeks of post-election drama. Even though the BJP has swept the Maharashtra assembly elections, internal disagreements over government formation delayed the actual formation process.
After much insistence by the party and finally being persuaded for the position of Chief Minister, he finally agreed to the proposed Deputy Chief Minister’s position. It was after days of uncertainty in which Shinde said he did not wish to stall the formation of the new government.
#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
Raut’s Remarks: “Shinde Era is Over”
Talking about Shinde’s transformation from Chief Minister to Deputy Chief Minister, Sanjay Raut said, “Shinde’s era is over. It lasted two years. His purpose has been served, and now he has been sidelined.” He blamed BJP of tactfully dumping their partners when they had no use left for them, further “They can even break Shinde’s party. This has always been the BJP’s line in politics; they finish the parties who work with them.”
Raut’s remarks come close on the heels of Shinde’s rebellion in 2022 that saw the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, or MVA, government led by Uddhav Thackeray. The MVA government was formed by three parties: Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress. Following his rebellion, Shinde joined hands with the BJP to form a new government that handed him the Chief Minister’s post.
Election Results and Mahayuti’s Dominance
The Mahayuti alliance, led by the BJP, Sena faction of Shinde, and NCP, which won the recently held Maharashtra assembly elections. It won as many as 230 seats altogether, out of which the BJP won 132, Shinde’s faction of Sena got 57, and NCP took as many as 41 seats. The election was in favor of the alliance; however, the process to form a government was slow, and internal conflicts were speculated.
Raut condemned the alliance as incoherent, claiming, “Even with a clear majority, their inability to form a government promptly indicates problems within the Mahayuti. They are driven by selfish motives rather than the interests of Maharashtra or the nation.
Opposition Criticism and EVM Allegations
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and the NCP, has disputed the election results, mainly concerning the electronic voting machines (EVMs). The opposition described the results as “shocking,” especially considering that they performed so well in the Lok Sabha elections earlier. The BJP, however, rejected the claims and referred to the opposition’s success in other states, such as Jharkhand, where the elections were held simultaneously.
Despite his criticism, Raut extended a formal welcome to the incoming government. “The state is getting a Chief Minister today, and we welcome him,” he said. He also highlighted the public’s dissatisfaction with the election outcome. “People across Maharashtra have taken to the streets to protest the results. They do not accept them.”
