Maharashtra Political Crisis: Maharashtra Forest Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganesh Naik, in 2022, pointed out the Shiv Sena chief becoming the Chief Minister, saying that the ‘lottery’ of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was imposed in Varmatan. He said that people have seen how a person achieved the position and retained. He was probably pointing to the appointment to the post of Chief Minister in 2022. He said that not everyone wins the lottery. But the common people see how someone wins the lottery and remains in office.
According to the news agency PTI, Ganesh Naik said at the Bhumi Pujan ceremony on Friday (August 17), “Eknath Shinde (the current Deputy Chief Minister) had a lottery. Winning the lottery is not in everyone’s luck. But Shinde won. The common people have seen how someone has achieved a position and retained.”
Naik further said that when he was the patron minister of Thane district, the late Vishnu Savara, late BJP MPs Chintaman Wanga and Eknath Shinde were members of DPDC (District Planning and Development Council). Shiv Sena MLA from Palghar and Boisar constituencies and BJP MP from Palghar, Hemant Savara also attended the event.
Naik has not targeted Shinde for the first time. Earlier in July too, Naik had alleged that outsiders were exploiting the resources of Navi Mumbai without naming the patron minister of Thane district. The Shiv Sena had retaliated at Naik, saying that they are trying to divert attention from the long -standing party’s grip on the cases of the city.
Eknath Shinde became the Chief Minister by demolishing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022. In the 2024 assembly elections, BJP won the most seat, after which Shinde had to assume the post of Deputy Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis again became the Chief Minister.
Earlier, on the occasion of Janmashtami, a big accident was averted during the Dahi Handi program in Ghansauli, Thane on Saturday night. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde narrowly survived. Shinde was coming down from the stage when he completed his program. Then a large number of Shiv Sena workers climbed on him. Due to this, the stage broke down and there was chaos. The deputy CM is completely safe.