Mumbai: Cracks in the Mahayuti alliance widened visibly on Saturday after Dy CM Eknath Shinde issued a pointed reminder that the BJP must abide by alliance dharma. For a leader known for his restrained public demeanour, Shinde’s unusually sharp words—delivered across at least two regional news channels—have set off ripples.
Shinde, who broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and later claimed the party leadership, said his faction has strictly followed yuti dharma and expects the BJP to do the same. If the principles of coalition discipline are ignored, confrontation becomes inevitable, he warned. His remarks come against the backdrop of the BJP inducting leaders from his party, a move that has clearly riled the Sena.
The immediate problem seems to be developments in Kalyan-Dombivli and Thane, Shinde’s strongholds, where the BJP recently absorbed several Sena workers.
The situation escalated so dramatically that all Shiv Sena ministers—except Shinde himself—boycotted the state cabinet meeting on November 18. A separate meeting later followed, during which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly reprimanded Sena leaders by pointing to the Shiv Sena’s own induction of BJP leaders.
Shinde told the news channels that the meeting resolved the issue by agreeing that there would be no further poaching by any partner. He asserted that the Shiv Sena remains the “big brother” in Mumbai and Thane, boasting that 120 former corporators had joined his party in Mumbai alone—an indication that the Sena is gearing up to contest a substantial number of seats.
But Shinde’s ire seems directed less at the BJP as a whole and more at its state leadership—particularly state unit president Ravindra Chavan. Chavan has appeared keen to flex his muscles within the alliance, especially after the recent turbulence in Kankavli (Sindhudurg district). There, BJP MP Narayan Rane’s son, MLA Nilesh Rane, unsettled the Sena by conducting a sting operation that allegedly uncovered bags of cash at the home of a BJP supporter.
An FIR has now been filed against Nilesh Rane for allegedly trespassing at the residence of the BJP supporter where he claimed cash meant for voter distribution was found.
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