Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Dismisses Political Speculation Over Cartoon Book Event, Says State Needs 50,000 Electric Buses Next Year

Pune, Oct 30: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday dismissed speculation over his appearance alongside Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and other leaders at a cartoon book launch in Mumbai, describing the event as a light-hearted cultural gathering with no political significance.

While addressing the media in Pune, Fadnavis said, “The programme celebrated 75 cartoonists who had chronicled Maharashtra over the past 100 years. Leaders attended as literature lovers and that the speeches were humorous and light-hearted. There was no political agenda to it.”

Fadnavis Denies Closed-Door Political Meeting

Rejecting reports of a closed-door meeting among the leaders, Fadnavis clarified that they had all been seated in the waiting area along with cartoonists before walking onto the stage together. “There was no closed-door meeting or political discussion. It was merely a light-hearted interaction,” he said, urging people not to draw political conclusions from the event.

Maharashtra's Electric Bus Requirements

Separately, speaking at the inauguration of EKA Mobility’s new manufacturing unit, Fadnavis said Maharashtra would require around 50,000 electric buses over the next three to four years. He cited the Mumbai civic body’s requirement of 10,000 buses, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s need for 30,000 buses, and additional demand from Pune and Nagpur.

He urged the company to expand its manufacturing capacity, stressing that locally manufactured buses would support green mobility, employment generation and Maharashtra’s economy.