Planning for mid-term election in Maharashtra has begun in Delhi, says Sanjay Raut

Recently out of jail, the Thackeray-camp loyalist trains guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ruled Centre

Remarking that Maharashtra’s politics has become “highly unstable,” Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre stating that the plan for holding mid-term polls in the State had begun in Delhi.

“Maharashtra’s politics has become so unstable that it is true..... preparations for holding mid-term polls in the State have commenced in Delhi,” said Mr. Raut, speaking to presspersons in Mumbai.

The Rajya Sabha MP, recently out on bail after spending more than 100 days in jail, urged both the ruling Shinde-Fadnavis government and the Opposition to cease their sabre-rattling and meditate seriously on why important projects and big-ticket investments were going out of Maharashtra.

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“One big project after another is leaving Maharashtra. Instead of mudslinging, both the ruling and Opposition parties need to sit together and think why this is happening. If Maharashtra keeps weakening industrially in this manner, then there will be no scope for playing anymore politics,” Mr. Raut said.

He alleged that there was a ‘plot’ to weaken Maharashtra economically and that it was imperative that both ruling and Opposition parties find a solution to stem the flow of projects moving out of the State.

“It is important for [Deputy CM] Devendra Fadnavis to hold a dialogue with the top Opposition leadership and have a meeting at the earliest,” he said.