Rumours that Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde will resign being deliberately planted, say Shinde-led Shiv Sena

Canards suggesting Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would soon resign were being deliberately planted, said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction on July 6, while stressing that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s induction would only increase the strength of the ruling Shinde Sena- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Canards suggesting Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would soon resign were being deliberately planted, said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction on July 6, while stressing that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s induction would only increase the strength of the ruling Shinde Sena- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Speaking in Mumbai, Maharashtra Industries Minister and Shinde camp MLA Uday Samant said that malicious rumours were being planted suggesting that CM Shinde would soon resign, while stressing care would be taken in the future to ensure there would be no feuds within the three parties (Eknath Shinde’s Sena faction, Devendra Fadnavis’ BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP group) now running the ‘Mahayuti’ government.

“This negativity is deliberately being created…The Shinde camp MLAs are not upset on Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction joining the ruling BJP-Shinde Sena government,” said Mr. Samant, a four-term legislator from Ratnagiri district in the State’s Konkan belt.

He hinted that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA coalition of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction, the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP) were spreading these rumours out of despair at their present situation.

The Shinde camp leader observed that Mr. Ajit Pawar, in his address on Wednesday, had himself acknowledged the development being done at the Centre and State under PM Modi and CM Shinde’s leadership.

“If someone says we will come with you and increase your strength, what is the harm in welcoming them Ajit Pawar himself has clearly said in his speech [on Wednesday] about PM Modi’s and Eknath Shinde’s speed of development at the Centre and the State. It is but natural that the Mahayuti government’s strength will increase with Ajit Pawar’s induction. He, too, acknowledges PM Modi as his leader,” Mr. Samant said, adding that Ajit Pawar’s adhesion to the ruling government was welcome.

Ever since Mr. Pawar split the NCP led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, several analysts as well as politicians like Congressman Prithviraj Chavan and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut have repeatedly said that the BJP had allegedly struck a deal with Mr. Ajit Pawar to be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra and that the swearing-in process of the NCP leaders was hurriedly carried out due to the imminent disqualification of the 16 rebel MLAs of the Shinde camp.