Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said Eknath Shinde could have become chief minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) govt in 2019, but top netas of the MVA, including NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, said Shinde was junior and they would not work under him.
Raut said had the BJP agreed to 50:50 power sharing, which he said the BJP had promised, and formed a govt with the Shiv Sena, then Shinde would have become the chief minister.
Last week, Pawar felicitated Shinde with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar in Delhi.
"When forming a govt with the BJP, Eknath Shinde was also given the post of leader of the legislature party. But then the govt could not be formed. But Ajit Pawar, with whom he is sitting … (and) the one who felicitated him in Delhi, Sharad Pawar, took the view during the MVA govt formation that Eknath Shinde could not be CM. He was very junior and they would not work under him, that is the view he took," Raut said.
Raut said Shinde was involved in the formation of the MVA. "Shinde was involved in all those decisions. His only focus was on which portfolio he was getting. Shinde wanted to become CM. At that time, the top netas of MVA said Shinde was junior and they would not work under him. So Shinde could not be considered. Shinde's position was that we will have to form the MVA and form this govt," he said.
Raut saud that if Shinde would not have been elected as the leader of the legislature party if he were not going to be made CM. "If the govt was formed with BJP, if BJP kept its promise of 50-50 (power sharing), then Shinde would have become CM. Uddhav Thackeray is very honest about that. Making him the leader of the legislature was a signal for him. But because the BJP did not keep its promise, Shinde did not become CM. Those who felicitated him…did not allow him to become CM in MVA," Raut said.
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