"Shinde Era Is Over": Sanjay Raut's Swipe As Sena Chief Takes Deputy Oath

Eknath Shinde is set to take oath as Deputy Chief Minister this evening in the new Mahayuti government helmed by Devendra Fadnavis

Taking a swipe at his estranged brother-in-arms Eknath Shinde as the new Mahayuti government preps to take the oath, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the "Shinde era is over" and he would "never be Chief Minister again". The Rajya Sabha MP also warned that BJP could break Shinde's party, formed after his mutiny split Shiv Sena and catapulted him to the Chief Minister post. #WATCH | Delhi: Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis today, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "Shinde era is over, it was just for two years. His usage is now over and he has been tossed aside. Shinde will never be the CM of this… pic.twitter.com/4kyySN4uEZ

Mr Shinde is set to take oath as Deputy Chief Minister this evening in the new Mahayuti government helmed by Devendra Fadnavis. The decision follows nearly two weeks of suspense after the BJP-led alliance scored a massive victory in the Maharashtra election. The win was followed by suspense as the Sena stressed that Mr Shinde be allowed to continue as Chief Minister, and the BJP refused. Eventually, Mr Shinde blinked and said he would not be an obstacle in government formation and would accept any decision taken by the BJP leadership. The suspense then shifted to whether he would accept the Deputy post, till a Sena leader confirmed that he would.

On a question linked to Mr Fadnavis' remark that he would run the government along with Mr Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, Mr Raut said, "Shinde era is over. It was for two years. His purpose has been served and he has been tossed aside. He will never be the Chief Minister of this state again. They can even break Shinde's party. This has always been BJP's line in politics, they finish the parties who work with them."