Eknath Shinde should be made Maharashtra chief minister for 2.5 years: Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar

Mumbai: The rift in the Mahayuti alliance seems to be out in the open with Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar on Wednesday accusing BJP of “doing injustice” to his party and demanding that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde be made CM for 2.5 years. Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad backed Sattar’s injustice claim, saying BJP is interfering in his Buldhana constituency too.

“If the CM can be appointed and then changed in Bihar, why not in Maharashtra? BJP has made Shiv Sena the No. 2 party in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar,” Sattar said, a day after a three-hour meeting with Shinde, who reportedly asked him to follow the Mahayuti coalition’s ‘dharma’ and not criticise BJP openly.

Sattar also announced that his son, Sameer, will take back his nomination, which he had filed as an independent against the official Mahayuti candidate Suhas Shirsat of BJP, from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar seat. “Shinde’s orders will be followed for the MLC polls,” said Sattar, even as he fuelled further speculation of the merger between the two Senas by saying that his party MLAs “were getting restless”. “...a decision should be taken by Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray,” he said.

“There is no opposition in the state and hence, Mahayuti partners are fighting among themselves. What happened to Uddhav Thackeray and Congress in the state, can happen to us too,” said Sattar. “Injustice has been meted out to Shinde by not making him CM. The 2024 election was fought under his leadership...One leader can be blamed for losing the election, similarly he should be credited for winning it...Our demand is that Shinde should be made CM for 2.5 years.”

Gaikwad claimed that senior BJP ministers were not letting him raise questions in the assembly on issues of public interest and were protecting vested interests. “Two cabinet ministers were beaten up and even after that, no action was taken,” he alleged. “Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar has also not been given the finance portfolio held by her late husband Ajit Pawar. I fear that just like us, they [NCP] too will be played by the BJP.”

On Monday, Shinde had downplayed all talk of a merger of the two Senas triggered by the statements of Sattar and Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve, saying that it was his Shiv Sena that carried forward the ideology of party founder Bal Thackeray. Shinde said that his Sena had the people’s mandate. But the next day, Sattar and Danve fuelled further speculation when they met and hugged each other on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. On Tuesday night, Sattar met Shinde in Thane and decided to get his son to withdraw his nomination for the MLC polls after the meeting.