"Mahayuti To Fight 2029 Polls Together:" Devendra Fadnavis To NDTV Amid Talk Of Rift

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reaffirmed that the ruling Mahayuti alliance will contest the 2029 Maharashtra Assembly elections together, while both BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena work to strengthen their individual bases.

"We want to make the BJP aatmanirbhar (self-reliant), but we will also fight the next assembly elections together," Fadnavis told NDTV in an exclusive interview, responding to Union Minister Amit Shah's recent remarks hinting at the BJP leading the 2029 polls on its own.

Tensions had surfaced in the run-up to the first phase of local polls, with both parties accusing each other of poaching leaders. Reports also suggested that Eknath Shinde, upset, had complained to Amit Shah about the BJP's state leadership. Fadnavis dismissed these as "baseless rumours".

"As long as Shinde ji is meeting my leaders in Delhi, I have nothing to worry about," he said, clarifying that Shinde's frequent trips to the capital are primarily to visit his son, MP Shrikant Shinde.

Referring to recent internal disputes, Fadnavis claimed poaching had not begun on the BJP's side. "I told him that this began with your people in Ulhasnagar. Only then did we respond in Kalyan-Dombivli," he said, adding that both sides have now agreed on a strict no-poaching arrangement.

The Chief Minister also criticised sections of the media for "fuelling unnecessary narratives" about a growing rift between him and his deputy.

"Shinde has personality, he doesn't smile often, his face is generally serious. I keep telling him we should smile and hug wherever we go. Our chemistry is good," Fadnavis said.

With the Mahayuti government completing one year in office, Fadnavis was also asked whether Shinde had fully accepted the political transition that saw him move from Chief Minister to the Deputy post. 

He insisted that Shinde was always aware that the BJP would eventually lay claim to the top post after its electoral sweep. 

"When we discussed the position with Shinde, Amit Shah ji was present. Shinde said that after such a big mandate, he understood BJP leaders would naturally want their own Chief Minister. He had no objection," Fadnavis said.