Speculation about a change in the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s post continues to persist with Maharashtra Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congressman Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday claiming that current CM Eknath Shinde would be replaced in September.
Speaking in Nagpur, Mr. Wadettiwar said that big changes in the government would take place over the next fortnight while expressing certainty about a change in the CM’s post.
“The public will see for itself the changes that will occur in the next 15-20 days. I can say for sure that there will be a seismic change in the government in September and that the change will start from the CM’s post,” said Mr. Wadettiwar, who is the LoP in the Legislative Assembly.
The Congress leader said despite CM Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar claiming their tripartite government of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP group working smoothly, things were far from well with the ruling government.
“All three leaders are ambitious. So, the leaders of all three parties are busy scrambling for power, throwing the interests of the public to the winds. This government cannot last for long. The public is witnessing the unsavoury power struggle between the CM and his two Deputy CMs,” said Mr. Wadettiwar.
He said on a number of public occasions, either the CM pointedly skipped a meeting or either of the Deputy CMs chose to remain absent.
Both the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena faction categorically refuted the Congress leader’s statements, with Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule stressing that Mr. Fadnavis had already made clear that Mr. Shinde would remain CM and that he would lead the three parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
“Mr. Fadnavis has clearly said that Eknath Shinde would remain CM and that the three parties would fight the elections under him. Eknath Shinde is our leader. He is and will remain our CM,” Mr. Bawankule said, adding that Mr. Wadettiwar needed to keep saying something just because he was the LoP.
Shinde Sena leader Arjun Khotkar said that the tripartite government was running well only because Mr. Shinde was helming it.
“Has Vijay Wadettiwar become an astrologer? There will be no change whatsoever in the coming days or months. Eknath Shinde will remain the CM and all three parties will fight elections under him,” Mr. Khotkar said.
Earlier this week, Mr. Wadettiwar, commenting on the frequent meetings between Mr. Ajit Pawar and his uncle NCP chief Sharad Pawar, had alleged that Prime Minister Modi had reportedly laid a condition before Mr. Ajit Pawar that he could be made the CM of the State only if Mr. Sharad Pawar came over to the side of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – an allegation which has been vehemently denied by the NCP patriarch.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), particularly senior leaders from the Maharashtra Congress, have been making claims about Mr. Shinde being replaced as CM even before the induction of Mr. Ajit Pawar and his rebel NCP faction in the ruling BJP-Shinde government.
Former CM and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, during the Karnataka election campaign, had spoken of NCP leaders including Mr. Ajit Pawar being in touch with the BJP.
Following Mr. Ajit Pawar’s swearing-in on July 2 along with other rebel NCP leaders, Mr. Chavan had claimed that the BJP high command’s thinking was that the party stood a far better chance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election with Mr. Ajit Pawar as CM in Maharashtra and that Mr. Shinde’s influence remained circumscribed within his stronghold of Thane.
