Reacting on Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s remark claiming that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be soon be replaced by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Narayan Rane said that Sanjay Raut has gone mad and Eknath Shinde will remain the Chief Minister till 2024 election.
Talking to the reporters, Narayan Rane said, “Sanjay Raut has gone mad, our Government will remain in power till 2024 election and Eknath Shinde will remain the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.” Hitting out at the unity of Opposition, Rane said that the entire opposition will not be able to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 elections and many Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders will join them.
“The entire Opposition will not be able to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 Lok Sabha elections and as the election comes near, more Maha Aghadi leaders will join the BJP,” he said.
“Earlier too, Pawar sahib said that his party is strong but today 40 people have left him. In today’s times, it is not easy to build the party again. There is BJP government both in the State and at the Centre…Uddhav Thackeray is in tension, he has got nothing left,” Narayan Rane said.
Sanjay Raut on July 3 reiterated his claim that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar who was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra a day ago would soon replace Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Sanjay Raut also said that 16 MLAs who were part of the split in Shiv Sena almost a year ago are going to be “disqualified”.
“Today I am saying this in front of the camera, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is going to change. Eknath Shinde is being removed. Eknath Shinde and the 16 MLAs are going to be disqualified,” Sanjay Raut said.
Sanjay Raut further said that Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will fight “unitedly” in Maharashtra.
“BJP is breaking Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress but this will not benefit them at all. In Maharashtra, we will fight unitedly. It is shocking that PM Modi had said that the leaders of NCP are involved in corruption and now those leaders have taken oath in Raj Bhawan,” Sanjay Raut said.
It is to be noted that on July 2, NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister in a surprise and dramatic political move that changed political equations in the State ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls next year and has ramifications for national politics.
In a dramatic turn of events, Ajit Pawar, along with nine MLAs, reached Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Ramesh Bais.
According to sources, MLAs accompanying Ajit Pawar to Raj Bhawan were upset with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s ‘unilateral’ decision to share the stage and ally with Rahul Gandhi at the Opposition unity meet in Bihar’s Patna last month.
“The country is progressing under the leadership of PM Modi. He is also popular in other countries. Everyone supports him and appreciates his leadership. We will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections with them (BJP) and that is why we have taken this decision,” Ajit Pawar said at a press conference later, explaining the big switch.
Eight other NCP MLAs, including senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Dilip Walse Patil, took oath as ministers along with Ajit Pawar at a ceremony in Raj Bhawan.
Ajit Pawar was later administered oath as the second deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was also present on the occasion.
Of the 53 NCP MLAs in the State, Ajit Pawar claims the support of 40, four more than the number required to escape the provisions of the anti-defection law.
The Maharashtra Cabinet have nine ministers from the BJP, nine from Shiv Sena and nine from the NCP, including the Chief Minister and two deputy Chief Ministers.
