Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied claims made by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut that some BJP leaders wanted to form an alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
Additionally, Raut stated that certain Sena (UBT) officials “may” feel the same way about joining forces with the BJP. He did clarify, though, that the Sena (UBT) has not yet had any such conversations. “There might be. We went with the MVA because of some leaders in the BJP. You split our party and gave what we were rightfully demanding to Eknath Shinde,” Raut said on Thursday when asked if leaders in the Sena (UBT) wanted an alliance with the BJP. “I doubt how long Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena will stay with the BJP. We are in a wait-and-watch mode. Though no such discussions have taken place within the Sena (UBT), some members of the party might also share the same sentiments,” he added.
Raut’s comments followed a few lighthearted interactions between BJP leader Chandrakant Patil and Thackeray’s aide and MLC Milind Narvekar at the wedding reception of MLA Parag Alavani’s daughter on Wednesday evening.
There were rumors of a reconciliation between the Sena (UBT) and the BJP after the exchanges took place in Thackeray’s presence. A BJP functionary said Thackeray shares cordial relations with Alavani. “Patil belongs to the older generation of BJP who understands the significance of Shiv Sena-BJP ties. It worked well for 25 years,” said Raut.
Before the parties split up following the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections over the Chief Minister’s position, the unified Shiv Sena and BJP had been partners for 25 years. After that, Thackeray teamed up with the Congress and the then-undivided NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and become chief minister.
But after Eknath Shinde launched a mutiny in the Shiv Sena and caused the party to divide, the MVA government fell in 2022. The ‘bow and arrow’ symbol and the party name were later given to him.
Several leaders from the ruling Mahayuti, which comprises BJP, Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the NCP headed by Ajit Pawar, attended Pavani’s daughter’s wedding. The newlyweds were also greeted by former Congressmen Krishna Hegde and Kripashankar Singh, who ran against Alavani from the Vile Parle assembly constituency in the state elections last year. Hegde is now with the ShivSena, and Singh is with the BJP.
Of Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly seats, 230 were won by the Mahayuti, 132 by the BJP, and 57 by the Shiv Sena and 41 by the NCP. With the Sena (UBT) gaining 20 seats, Congress 16 seats, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP 10 seats, the MVA was thoroughly outclassed and only managed to secure 46 seats.
Sanjay Raut’s assertion that some BJP leaders desired an alliance with the Sena (UBT) was retaliated against by Chief Minister Fadnavis, who emphasized that informal discussions shouldn’t be read politically. “No one should be naive enough to think that just because people meet at a wedding (reception), an alliance is formed or parties come closer,” he told reporters in Delhi.
Raut stated on Tuesday that Thackeray will not run for the Congress or AAP in the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5 and that the party has adopted a neutral position. However, he stressed that the Congress and AAP, both members of the INDIA bloc, are friends of Sena (UBT).
“We’re staying put (for campaigning).” When asked if Thackeray would run for any party in the next Delhi elections, Raut responded, “We are neutral.”
While opposition groups like the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress have offered their support to the AAP rather than the Congress, the Shinde-led Sena has sided with the BJP.
Since the Congress and AAP teamed up for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi last year, the INDIA alliance has been experiencing rifts. In the nation’s capital, no party secured any seats in the legislature.
