As the Maharashtra state assembly election campaign kick-started, cracks in the Mahayuti alliance became evident, with disagreements surfacing over support for Mahayuti candidates during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Former Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Hemant Godse from Nasik has accused Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Chhagan Bhujbal of betrayal. Godse claimed that deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Bhujbal back-stabbed him during the Lok Sabha elections in Nasik.
According to Godse, Bhujbal actively campaigned for the opposition candidate, urging people to vote for Rajabhau Waje, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate.
“Shiv Sena never back-stabbed anyone, but some people did it in the recent Lok Sabha election,” Godse said.
Godse explained that Bhujbal was originally interested in contesting the Nasik Lok Sabha seat. However, at the last moment, Bhujbal was denied the candidature, and Godse was re-nominated. Ultimately, Godse lost to the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Rajabhau Waje.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who had supported Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha elections, has distanced himself from the alliance this time. He also criticised Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, accusing him of using the court and the Election Commission of India to take over the Shiv Sena party and symbol.
In a recent interview, Raj Thackeray said, “I got my party and symbol through hard work, not by snatching it from anyone.”
Reacting to Raj Thackeray’s statement, Shiv Sena minister Deepak Kesarkar defended CM Eknath Shinde, asserting, “CM Eknath Shinde has not snatched the party and symbol. He is a true follower of late Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, and that is why he got the party and symbol.”