After big poll win three months back, Fadnavis-Shinde 'cold war' talks hot up

IN MAHARASHTRA

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MUMBAI: From disagreement over guardian minister's post to taking separate review meetings to separate medical cells and 'war rooms' for monitoring projects, the unease between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde seems to be growing.

Talks of rift have gripped the ruling Mahayuti just three months after the BJP-led three-party coalition swept the Assembly polls, winning 230 of the 288 seats and virtually decimating the rivals, and no amount of clarification or assertion is helping in scotching the speculations.

Post-results last November, Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, had to content with the position of deputy chief minister after a lot of persuasion following the BJP's decision to install its leader Fadnavis as the CM.

Shinde's supporters feel it was because of his leadership, development and welfare decisions taken during the two-and-a-half years of his chief ministership (June 2022 to November 2024) that the ruling bloc, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, swept the Assembly polls.