In a significant political development, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has instructed his party functionaries to immediately cancel all scheduled inductions of leaders from alliance parties, bringing temporary relief to the strained Mahayuti coalition ahead of crucial local body elections.
Delhi Meeting Triggers Truce
The decision came a day after Shinde's crucial meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday, where the Deputy Chief Minister reportedly raised serious concerns about the BJP's alleged "poaching" of Shiv Sena leaders. Shinde specifically complained about BJP state president Ravindra Chavan's move to induct Sena leaders into the BJP ahead of the civic polls.
Shinde skipped an important function chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Mumbai to personally travel to Delhi and meet Shah, underscoring the urgency of the matter. The meeting appears to have yielded immediate results with Shinde's subsequent instruction to halt all inductions from alliance parties.
Alliance Tensions Surface
The political tension had been brewing for days, culminating in Shiv Sena ministers boycotting Tuesday's cabinet meeting in Mumbai. The boycott was a direct protest against what Sena leaders called the BJP's systematic poaching of Shinde-led Sena leaders, along with those who had contested against Sena candidates in the 2024 Assembly and Parliament elections.
Following his meeting with Shah, Shinde clarified that both he and Chief Minister Fadnavis had previously agreed that no leaders or workers from alliance parties would be poached by Mahayuti constituents before the upcoming local body elections. Thursday's instruction to cancel inductions was seen as a measure to ease the growing friction between the allies.
Thackeray's Sharp Criticism
The political drama didn't go unnoticed by Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, who lost no time in taking a jibe at the Deputy Chief Minister. Speaking at a gathering of Shikshak Sena members at Mumbai's MIG Club, Thackeray characterized Shinde's Delhi visit as reflecting "political helplessness."
"Someone went to Delhi saying he was beaten up. Why this helplessness?" Thackeray remarked, though he carefully avoided naming Shinde directly. The comment was widely interpreted as a direct dig at the Deputy CM's political maneuvering.
Thackeray also took the opportunity to question the BJP's pre-poll schemes, pointing out the apparent double standards in political discourse. He noted that benefits announced by opposition parties are often mocked as "revdi" (freebies), while similar initiatives from the ruling party are projected as government favors.
In his address to teachers-turned-MLCs, Thackeray urged them to spend their constituency funds exclusively on improving schools. He emotionally recalled his family's educational struggles, stating, "My grandfather and Balasaheb (Sena founder Bal Thackeray) had to leave school in Class 7 because they couldn't afford the fees, but their learning did not stop. Values are taught through behavior."
Media Backlash and Political Fallout
Adding to the political pressure, Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana carried a sharp editorial accusing the Shinde Sena of staging another "drama of displeasure" by skipping Tuesday's cabinet meeting. The editorial didn't mince words, stating that the Shinde camp's influence in the government had "reduced to peanuts."
The publication alleged that the BJP was systematically weakening its own allies through careful political engineering, claiming that the party's public assurances of Mahayuti unity were contradicted by its actions at the local level. The editorial particularly emphasized that Shinde's party was now facing the consequences of having broken the original Shiv Sena.
"Those who once chose power over loyalty now complain of being broken," the editorial stated, arguing that the BJP was unlikely to take the Shinde Sena's protests seriously. It concluded that the faction was "caught in the same net it willingly walked into," highlighting the complex political dynamics within Maharashtra's ruling alliance.
The developments come at a critical juncture for Maharashtra politics, with local body elections looming and alliance partners carefully navigating their political strategies while maintaining a fragile coalition government.
