Losing the chief minister’s post to Devendra Fadnavis after the assembly elections in November 2024 was a bitter pill to swallow for Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, who had served as chief minister with Fadnavis for more than two years. Since then, growing unease between the two leaders has surfaced from time to time, exposing cracks in the ruling Mahayuti alliance – the latest being Fadnavis’ alleged interference in blocking four proposals from being cleared by the Sena-led reform committee in the BMC.
Political observers say that the rift that started between the leaders during the formation of the government has little chance of ending.
Soon after assuming charge, Fadnavis stalled several projects sanctioned during Shinde’s tenure as CM – the Thane-Borivali tunnel project, procurement of electric buses for the State Transport Corporation (ST), and contracts related to the 108 ambulance service, among others.
“The friction intensified during the local body elections held late last year, when both poached leaders from each other’s parties ahead of the elections. Apart from breaking the alliance, it also triggered violent confrontations in Kalyan-Dombivli, Raigad and Kankavli,” said a Shiv Sena leader requesting anonymity.
This rivalry has come to the fore publicly on several occasions. On May 15, BJP councilors protested in Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) alleging procedural impropriety after 231 resolutions were approved in just five minutes during the general body meeting.
While BJP leaders believe Shinde’s tacit support to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s announcement of a hunger strike from Saturday, Sena leaders say politically sensitive documents related to Sena leaders are being selectively leaked by BJP-linked individuals to social activist Anjali Damania and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, adding another layer of mistrust between the two alliance partners.
CM’s interference in Shiv Sena led organization in BMC
Shiv Sena was left disappointed on Wednesday when the party-led reform committee in BMC was forced to send four key proposals back to the civic administration for scrutiny, reportedly following the intervention of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The proposals – privatization of SevenHills Hospital, commercialization of blood banks in five civic hospitals, construction of an exhibition center at Bandra Reclamation and a plan to change land-use norms for green cover in Malabar Hill – triggered criticism from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), which alleged that they were against the interests of the city and involved serious financial implications and irregularities.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the proposals involving changes in land use norms for blood banks and open spaces are aimed at benefiting private players. The matter was brought to the notice of the CM, BJP and Sena insiders said, after which he reportedly asked BJP leaders in the BMC to ensure that the proposals are reconsidered. While Fadnavis denied any interference, leaders from both parties said they had examined the proposals after concerns were raised over alleged discrepancies.
A Shiv Sena leader said, “This has widened the rift between the two leaders – Fadnavis and Sena chief Eknath Shinde. The Sena faced a double embarrassment: not only were the proposals put on hold, but this was done after red flags were raised by its arch rival, the Sena (UBT).”
Struggle over seat distribution for council elections
BJP and Shiv Sena are engaged in tough bargaining over the distribution of 17 Legislative Council seats from urban and local bodies.
Although BJP is believed to be in a position to win 16 out of 17 seats except Pune on its own, Shiv Sena has reportedly insisted on six seats. It is being told that the state leadership of BJP had initially offered three seats to Shiv Sena and two to NCP.
Known to be a tough negotiator, Shinde reportedly left no stone unturned to secure additional seats – he made an unscheduled visit to Delhi late on Sunday night and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to press his party’s case.
An Sena leader said, “The Delhi visit appears to have worked in the Sena’s favour, as the BJP may give away five seats. This is Shinde’s pattern, which first emerged during the 2024 Lok Sabha, followed by the assembly and civic polls – with the BJP accepting more seats than many Sena leaders had expected.”
Meanwhile, an angry Fadnavis delayed finalizing the seat-sharing till his meeting with Shah in Delhi on Wednesday. However, after the meeting he denied any discord between the coalition partners, saying, “The decision will be taken at the appropriate time. We are discussing Aurangabad and Nashik seats with the Army.” Shinde said that Mahayuti will jointly win all the 17 seats.
Uneasiness after Kharat’s arrest
The arrest of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat immediately put the focus on Shiv Sena as pictures of him surfaced with several party leaders, including Eknath Shinde, former education minister Deepak Kesarkar and social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat. Matters worsened when social activist Anjali Damania released alleged call detail records (CDRs) between Shinde and Kharat before their arrest.
Shinde was angry with this leak and suspected the involvement of insiders. An official close to the Deputy Chief Minister said, “CDR is highly sensitive material in a police investigation and is not easily available without political or administrative interference. Shinde was upset as it was considered a deliberate attempt to defame him.”
Party leaders also said that despite the announcement of investigation into the alleged leak, no action has been initiated yet. Soon after the controversy broke out, Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant alleged that the leak was linked to infighting between BJP and Shiv Sena leaders, giving rise to rumors of discontent among the alliance partners.
Transfer, control of state administration
Recent transfers in the IAS and IPS cadre have exposed the differences between Fadnavis and Shinde. Fadnavis holds the Home portfolio while Shinde holds the Urban Development and Housing portfolio.
Leaders of both parties said the disagreements over recent transfers were so intense that many transfer orders had to be modified or cancelled. “Postings of senior IPS officers, especially in Thane and MMR, were changed within days because Fadnavis wanted skilled officers, while Shinde was inclined towards people with whom he had previously worked in Thane, or who were considered close to him,” a BJP leader said. He said the differences between the two leaders led to long-pending appointments in departments and statutory bodies like MHADA controlled by Shinde and There has been a delay in transfers.
“The housing department has remained leaderless for over a year as no consensus has been reached on Valsa Nair’s successor. Appointments to replace the current heads of MHADA and MSRDC have also been delayed for similar reasons,” the leader said.
It is believed that the Shinde camp is unhappy with the alleged interference of the CMO in the Industries Department headed by Uday Samant. Insiders said industrial investment is closely monitored by the CMO; And Samant’s absence from an important review meeting chaired by Fadnavis earlier this week did not go unnoticed.
Another tussle between Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Shinde over the transfer of Revenue Officer Vandana Suryavanshi has created a buzz in the ministry. Suryavanshi’s transfer from MHADA to Jalna, ordered by Bawankule, was reportedly canceled on Shinde’s insistence, triggering a probe into the decade-old case involving the officer.
Eye on 193 acre Thane land parcel
A clash broke out on Thursday between the Thane unit of BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar and the Shinde camp, questioning TMC’s decision to enter into a private agreement with D Dahyabhai & Company Pvt Ltd on the release of TDR amount. ₹2800 crores. TMC is ruled by Shiv Sena.
On May 26, the Supreme Court disposed of a petition filed by TMC against the company over possession of 193 acres of land spread in the Chitalsar Pada-Manpada area of ​​Thane, a day after TMC told the top court that it had entered into a personal agreement with the company.
While the land is privately owned, the state government had earlier claimed it belonged to the forest department; And since TMC had reserved 100 acres of land for a garden, the company sought TDR against it.
Now that TMC can issue TDR to the company, the Thane unit of BJP has called it a ploy to benefit the company. Kelkar said on Thursday, “The matter is of 193 acres of land. A high-level investigation into this matter is necessary as many big players are involved in it.”
