Shinde still in shock at losing CM post, says Saamna column

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claims strained ties between CM Fadnavis and deputy CM Shinde, hinting at political turmoil within the parties.

MUMBAI: A day after Shiv Sena leader and state minister Sanjay Shirsat said that the two Shiv Senas could reunite, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut remarked in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ that the relationship between CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde was strained, and this could be seen on a daily basis.

Shinde still in shock at losing CM post, says Saamna column

In his column called ‘Rokhthok’, Raut, who is the editor of ‘Saamna’, on Sunday wrote that Shinde was still in a state of shock since he had not been made the CM again “despite promises” and was desperately trying to regain the post. He added that people were being “entertained” on account of the tense relationship between Fadnavis and Shinde, who barely spoke to each other.

The column mentioned that Shinde had lost interest in work and reached late for meetings, a case in point being the district planning and development fund meeting at World Trade Centre last week for which he arrived two and a half hours late. It added that Shinde often skipped the state cabinet meet and took a chopper to his native place in Mahabaleshwar.

The article also quoted the MLA as saying that Shinde and Fadnavis had very many differences in the 30 months of Shinde’s chief ministership, and Fadnavis was now exacting his “revenge” by not giving Shinde much to do. Moreover, the MLA claimed, the activities of Shinde and his men were being tracked by agencies as were their phones.

As a pointer to the BJP’s systematic undermining of Shinde’s position, the column stated that Palghar’s district guardian minister, Ganesh Naik of the BJP, had said that he would begin holding janata darbars in Thane district (Shinde’s home turf and guardian minister territory). Shiv Sena leaders, on their part, had retorted that they would hold public meetings in Palghar where Naik is the guardian minister.

In 2019, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had claimed that the BJP promised him the chief ministership in a closed-door meeting and later went back on its word. The party now wants to showcase how the BJP always does this.

Raut, in his column, also mentioned that many Shiv Sena MLAs were under the direct control of Fadnavis and at least 21 MLAS had claimed that, after their rebellion in 2022, they went to Surat only on his orders. Many of them now want to leave, claimed Raut. The column said that the political situation of Ajit Pawar was much better now.

Raut also claimed that Amit Shah needed Shinde only to finish off the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the BMC elections, and thereafter he would finish off Shinde.

When asked about the claims in the column, Shiv Sena spokesperson and minister Sanjay Shirsat said, “We have proper control on our MLAS. In fact, there is huge competition between the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP on who will jump out of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). There is a huge line of leaders set to leave both the MVA and the Sena (UBT).”

BJP Minister Nitesh Rane remarked that Sanjay Raut needed to look after and analyse the state of his own party. Shiv Sena minister Yogesh Kadam said that Raut’s claims were laughable. “In fact, many Sena (UBT) MLAs want to cross the floor,” he said.