Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is aggressively positioning his faction for dominance in Mumbai ahead of the crucial BMC elections.
Addressing a gathering of his party’s MLAs, MPs, former corporators, and office bearers at Worli’s NSCI Dome on Tuesday, Shinde stressed the need to bolster the party’s presence in the city. He instructed leaders to open 'Shakhas' (party branches) in all 227 electoral wards and begin preparations for the polls.
“We shocked Shiv Sena(UBT) in the Assembly elections by winning 56 seats, while UBT could only secure 20. Now, we will deliver another shock by defeating them in the BMC elections,” Shinde stated, rallying his supporters. “Vidhan Sabha to jhanki hai BMC abhi baaki hai,” he said.
In his address, Shinde also called for the expansion of Shiv Sena beyond Maharashtra, acknowledging the growing demand for the party in other states. He urged party workers to go door-to-door in Mumbai and inform citizens about the party’s accomplishments over the last two and a half years.
Highlighting the work done during his tenure as chief minister, Shinde said, “I directed the BMC Commissioner to improve Mumbai’s roads, enhance water quality through STP plants, and beautify the city.” He urged party workers to spread awareness about these initiatives among the citizens.
Shinde also took the opportunity to quash rumors of any rift between him and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating, “There is no cold war within the Mahayuti alliance. My battle is against the opposition that hinders the state’s progress. I warned UBT not to take me lightly, but they misinterpreted my statements and attributed them wrongly to the BJP,” Shinde further added.
Shinde stepped up attacks against Shiv Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying that in 2019 he discarded Balasaheb Thackeray's thoughts and also compromised on Hindutva and the party's core belief for the sake of grabbing power.
“Now the sky is torn, where will he patch it up?” Shinde asked and ridiculed Thackeray's damage control exercise against the backdrop of the meetings convened by him with the Shiv Sena UBT MPs and legislators amid large-scale exodus from the party.
Shinde told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting that the Shiv Sena party is a party based on the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe.
“The Shiv Sena is one party that gives strength to the workers. It is not about the thoughts of 'you fight, we take care of the clothes',” he said while criticising his former boss. “Today, we welcome a large number of people joining the Shiv Sena, but they (UBT) should introspect about the mass exodus from the party,” he said.
