‘I didn’t want to join government,' a miffed Eknath Shinde tells Shiv Sena leaders

He also told top party workers that he accepted the DyCM’s post only because party leaders had forced him to do so, HT has learnt from people in the know

Mumbai: In a closed-door meeting with his party functionaries on Thursday, deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde revealed that he was reluctant to join the Mahayuti government, and that he accepted the DyCM’s post only because party leaders had forced him to do so, HT has learnt from people in the know from the party. Shinde’s meeting with his colleagues was part of a first round of prep for the upcoming civic elections.

CM Devendra Fadnavis with Eknath Shinde. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) (PTI12_04_2024_000276A)(PTI)

The meeting was attended by several sitting and former MPs, MLAs and former corporators.

Shiv Sena will have a steering committee for the BMC polls, which will showcase Shinde’s achievements in his tenure as chief minister, prominently, the inauguration of Atal Setu, parts of coastal road, several metro routes and aapla dawakhana.

At the meeting Shinde also said while many from Shiv Sena (UBT) were ready to join him, he had stopped the entries prioritising tickets for his own party workers in the BMC election. He cited example of how Ashok Patil won from Bhandup assembly constituency even when there will many corporators from Shiv Sena (UBT).

Shinde told his men that there were many former corporators from 2017–2022 batch and nearly 30 former corporators from the 2012-2017 batch in Shiv Sena.

Shinde also told his partymen not to speak against other Mahayuti allies.

Speaking to the media, Shinde said, “We have our ear to the ground and our agenda is centred around development. Our Sena works on thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray. Mahayuti works as a team. People have voted for us. Instead of focusing on what we can get, we have to focus on what we can give Mumbaikars.”