Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that BJP still wants to support Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray from Mahim Assembly seat. The ruling Shiv Sena in the state is also contesting on this seat. At the same time, Shiv Sena of Shinde faction has fielded its candidate from this seat. Fadnavis said that efforts will be made to find a solution to this.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Fadnavis also said that his party will try to convince most of its rebels to withdraw their nominations. Besides, there will also be friendly fights on some seats in the assembly elections.
What did Deputy CM Fadnavis say?
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar from Mahim, while Mahesh Sawant is the candidate of former state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) from this seat in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray’s MNS is not part of the grand alliance that includes the BJP, Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but it had supported the ruling alliance in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
Fadnavis said an agreement was reached between BJP and Chief Minister Shinde to support MNS candidate Amit Thackeray, who is contesting for the first time, in Mahim assembly constituency. However, Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders argued that if the party did not contest the elections, its voters would shift to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), he said. BJP was ready to support Amit and is still firm on its stand. When asked about the solution to this dilemma, Fadnavis said, when we (Mahayuti leaders) meet, we will discuss and try to find a solution.
“The challenge is coming from the rebels”
Fadnavis also said that every major political party in the state is facing the challenge from rebels in the assembly elections. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that his close aide and then Home Minister RR Patil had backstabbed him by ordering an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.
Pawar claimed that a file mentioning Patil’s comments related to the inquiry order was shown to him by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in 2014 after he became the Chief Minister. Asked about NCP leader Pawar’s comments, Fadnavis said, it is true that the investigation against Ajit Pawar was started when the Congress and the (then undivided) Nationalist Congress Party were in power. However, I will not say anything on RR Patil’s decision because he has passed away. Voting for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held on November 20 and counting of votes will take place on November 23.
