- Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse has publicly supported Eknath Shinde’s comeback as Chief Minister
- "We will see Eknath Shinde leading Maharashtra once again," Dada Bhuse has said.
- A Sena leader has claimed that the BJP is trying to influence the civic election, which the BJP has denied
The tussle between the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP in Maharashtra is intensifying with Eknath Shinde's aides openly declaring that he will lead the state again.
Party insiders say Shinde has made it clear that he wants to be reinstated as Chief Minister -- a position he lost after the 2024 elections as the BJP won more seats than his party. It paved the way for the return of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister after serving as Eknath Shinde's deputy from 2022 to 2024.
Education Minister of Maharashtra Dada Bhuse has recently sparked a row by suggesting that Eknath Shinde will return as Chief Minister again.
Addressing a gathering, Dada Bhuse said, "You said that previously, Maharashtra has not seen such a Chief Minister, and will not see one in the future. But even today, if you ask the people who is the Chief Minister in their hearts, even today the people will say that the Chief Minister in their hearts is the Eknathji Shinde Saheb."
"And don't worry about what is written in the history of the future, we will certainly see Eknathji Shinde Saheb leading Maharashtra once again. And therefore, for the development of this city, I request all of you to bless the 'Panel to Panel' Bow and Arrow (the symbol)," Dada Bhuse said in Maharashtra's Nandurbar.
Meanwhile as campaigning for local body elections pick up, Shiv Sena (Shinde Faction) MLA Nilesh Rane claimed late on Wednesday night that Rs 25 lakh in cash was recovered from the house of a BJP worker, Vijay Kenavadekar, in Malvan city.
Rane alleged that this large sum was kept to be distributed among voters and that this is the first concrete proof that BJP workers are trying to influence the election atmosphere.
BJP leaders have called these allegations politically motivated. Party leaders said having money related to a private business in one's home is not a crime, and unauthorized entry into someone's home to conduct a sting operation is also legally questionable.
