The chief minister (Eknath Shinde) will definitely go, Team Thackeray said. (File)
Bombay:
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed on Tuesday that Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is leaving soon but who will be his successor, the comment comes amid several rumors circulating in the state’s political circles .
In an editorial in party spokesman ‘Saamana’, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said while the Shinde faction is in the process of saving the seat, the camp of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is sweet-talking them and another game behind their backs plays.
“The prime minister will certainly go,” the editorial said.
Later, speaking to reporters, ‘Saamana’ executive editor and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that Prime Minister Shinde, who has gone to his hometown in Satara, could probably extend his furlough.
Asked for a comment from BJP MLA and Finance Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who had said that party officials see Mr Fadnavis as the chief minister, Mr Raut said: “The chief minister (Shinde) could probably extend his furlough and to stay.”
Mr Raut said Shinde thinks he is a “messiah” of the poor but has taken three days’ leave in a helicopter.
“Shinde should instead take the helicopter to Barsu in Ratnagiri district and meet the protesters who are agitating against the refinery project,” he said.
Meanwhile, Naresh Mhaske, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, has said that the chief minister has not gone on leave, but is on an official visit (to Satara).
“He met (BJP MLA) Shivendraraje Bhosale. He wants to attend some ritual, but criticize them (the opposition) for the sake of it,” he said.
Notably, Mr Raut claimed on Saturday that the “death sentence” of the Eknath Shinde-led government has been issued and that it will collapse in the next 15-20 days.
He alluded to the Supreme Court hearing on a plea for disqualification of 16 MLAs from the faction led by Mr. Shinde, who is recognized as Shiv Sena.
Mr. Raut had claimed in an article in ‘Saamana’ that NCP chief Sharad Pawar told Uddhav Thackeray during their meeting that he will never engage with BJP, but if someone makes a personal decision and leaves, that is an individual . problem.
Political circles in Maharashtra are abuzz with speculation that senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar could break NCP ranks to join hands with the ruling BJP. For his part, Ajit Pawar had claimed that he would stay with NCP until his life.
However, the buzz refuses to die down as Ajit Pawar said in an interview that he “would 100 percent want to be the chief minister of Maharashtra”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
