Discordant voices emerged on Sunday from the Mahayuti even as the alliance continued to remain in the throes of government formation more than week after it swept the Maharashtra assembly polls.
Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil on Sunday said the Eknath Shinde-led party would have won 90-100 seats in the November 20 assembly polls if Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was not part of the Mahayuti.
“We contested only 85 seats. Without Ajitdada, we could have won 90-100 seats. Shinde never asked why Ajit Pawar-led NCP was inducted in his government,” Patil, a minister in the outgoing government, said.
Patil, however, clarified that they did not oppose the inclusion of Ajit Pawar in the alliance, and the leadership never questioned the decision to bring him in.
Patil’s statement drew a strong response from the NCP. Party spokesperson and Legislative Council member Amol Mitkari remarked, “Gulabrao Patil’s claim that the Shinde faction would have won 90-100 seats if Ajit Pawar were not part of the alliance is a sweet misunderstanding. He should not attempt to create a rift within the Mahayuti.”
Earlier, Patil in an interaction with media praised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for his hard work over the past two and a half years. He credited Shinde with earning the trust and admiration of the people of the state, claiming that Shinde had achieved what no one else had been able to accomplish in such a short time. Patil also emphasised that Shinde had become a ‘ladka bhau’ figure among farmers, youth, and women of Maharashtra, and thus, no one should criticise him.
Patil further stated that all powers had been entrusted to Eknath Shinde, and whatever decisions Shinde makes will be accepted by the party. He added that the decision regarding the CM’s position was ultimately up to the BJP, and this matter was a subject for the party’s leadership to resolve.
