MUMBAI, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2024 (GPN): CM Eknath Shinde has won the hearts of Mumbaikars and entire Maharashtra by implicating that for him CM is a Common Man working among the public and for the public at large.He means that he is available to all ordinary people and the elite alike, he believes in working at grassroot level for the upliftment of the society and not getting flattered in pride by one’s power and position.

The BJP’s parent organisation, the RSS, held a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the upcoming Maharashtra state assembly elections. During the meeting, concerns were raised about whether the BJP had made the right decision by breaking away from the Shiv Sena, founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray, and aligning with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. Some factions within the RSS are worried that Shinde is growing in prominence, cementing his position in state and at Centre. The meeting concluded that, in trying to diminish Thackeray’s influence, the BJP has created a new problem in the form of Shinde.

In 2019, former Union Minister Sharad Pawar was instrumental in making Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, aiming to deliver a political lesson and return to power through the MVA experiment. However, with the 2024 state assembly elections approaching, Sharad Pawar seems reluctant to announce Uddhav Thackeray as the CM candidate. Instead, Pawar has decided to keep his plans close to his chest until the final results are in. The Congress is also eyeing a significant opportunity to secure the CM position after a 15-year hiatus in state politics.

The recent collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue has provided Uddhav Thackeray with a chance to recover from the damage his party suffered in the last Lok Sabha elections in Konkan and the Mumbai metropolitan region. The Sindhudurg Police had arrested Jaydeep Apte from Thane, earlier Chetan Patil, the structural consultant of the Shivaji Maharaj statue was arrested from Kolhapur .The police had registered the FIR under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and produced the duo before the competent court thereafter.Sindhudurg court had remanded the accused sculptor-contractor and consultant duo to police custody till 10 September. On their arrest CM Eknath Shinde told NH that “I had said this earlier; everyone is equal before the law and they were bound to get arrested… Jaydeep Apte and Chetan Patil will now be investigated. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our god and what happened was very unfortunate. Politizing the matter is very unfortunate,” CM Shinde said.

Shiv Sena, which originated in Mumbai, had naturally expanded into the Konkan belt with a similar voter base.

In the last Lok Sabha polls, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena lost three crucial seats in Raigad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Mawal. The statue controversy has revitalised Thackeray’s cadre, fostering the perception that the BJP has not spared even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for corruption.

State Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai had expressed disappointment over the ally NCP Chief Ajit Pawar for “omitting” the word Mukhyamantri (CM) and not using the full name of the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme during Mr Pawar’s public outreach programmes and pointed it was not as per protocol.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as well as Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar late Sunday night.

Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the state, met Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar at Sahaydri state guesthouse, where he is staying.

BJP sources said the meeting was to discuss and clarify discordant statements from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP about the response to various government schemes ahead of assembly polls, which are likely to take place in October-November.

In poll-bound Maharashtra, Mr. Shah’s visit bears strategic importance as the seat-sharing in the ruling tripartite Mahayuti is still underway. BJP is looking to reach a consensus on various matters, including stability in Mahayuti. Given the rift between the key allies- Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). Recently, NCP threatened to quit over Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant’s “vomit” comment. All parties clashed over credits for the poster scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’.