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Eknath Shinde was picked as CM with a ‘heavy heart’, says Maharashtra BJP chief
Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar, however, said Chandrakant Patil was only "articulating the feelings of ordinary workers".
In what could be seen as a first hint of displeasure within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, party's state chief Chandrakant Patil on Saturday was reported as saying that it was decided with a “heavy heart” that Eknath Shinde - whose rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government - would become the new chief minister. Patil reportedly made the statement at a meeting of the Maharashtra BJP's executive committee in Panvel.
“We needed to provide a leader who would convey the right message and ensure stability. The central leadership and Devendra-ji (Devendra Fadnavis) decided to back Eknath Shinde as CM with a heavy heart. We were unhappy but decided to accept the decision,” Patil was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, when asked about Patil's comments, state BJP leader Ashish Shelar said that it was not the BJP's or Patil's own stand, but he was only articulating the feelings of ordinary workers.
Eknath Shinde took oath as the Maharashtra chief minister on June 30, while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy.
It was a political twist that few expected, but Fadnavis - who held the CM's post between 2014 and 2019 - has since repeatedly defended the move, saying Shinde is the new head of the state and under his rule, the western state would progress.
Even as Fadnavis had earlier said that he would not be a part of the government, BJP chief JP Nadda made a surprise announcement - when Shinde took charge - that Fadnavis would be the new deputy chief minister.
The Sena-led MVA regime, which had the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as the other members of the coalition, suffered a disintegration after a rebellion headed by Shinde.
The faction led by the now Maharashtra chief minister first went incommunicado and then demanded a reunion of Sena and the BJP. Notably, the former allies split in 2018 and the following year, Sena joined hands with its erstwhile rivals, the grand old party and the NCP , to form the coalition MVA government.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court earlier this week heard several pleas linked to the rift between the Sena factions headed by Shinde and Uddhav, respectively, and scheduled next hearing in the matter on August 1.
Among the pleas was one related to the disqualification of MLAs, including Shinde. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana asked both factions to file relevant documents, compilations and replies by the stipulated date and also directed Maharashtra speaker Rahul Narvekar not to deal with the disqualification pleas until then.
In latest developments, the Shinde faction has requested poll body the Election Commission of India (ECI) to recognise their camp as the real ‘Shiv Sena’ and also allocate the party's bow-and-arrow poll symbol to it.
The ECI, meanwhile, has asked both factions to submit documentary evidence to back their claim about having the majority Sena members with them. Both Shinde and Uddhav's factions have been asked to submit their replies by August 8.
