The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on June 5 addressed the recent remarks by his deputy, Devendra Fadnavis, who expressed a desire to be relieved of his ministerial duties following MahaYuti’s disappointing performance in the state. Shinde emphasized the collective responsibility for the election defeat and expressed his intent to discuss the matter with Fadnavis.
“Election defeat is a collective responsibility. Reasons for defeat will be discussed and fixed. All the three parties worked together in the elections. If we look at the percentage of votes, MahaYuti got more than two lakh votes in Mumbai,” Shinde stated.
He added, “Although the seats have decreased in this election, the votes have increased. Even if DCM has expressed his feelings, I will talk to him. We are not people who get tired of failure.”
Fadnavis announced his intention to request the party’s leadership to relieve him from the state government, aiming to focus full-time on preparations for the upcoming state Assembly elections scheduled for September-October this year. This announcement followed the BJP’s poor performance in Maharashtra, where the party won only nine seats compared to 23 in the 2019 elections.
Furthermore, the BJP-led MahaYuti failed to meet its “Mission 45 plus” goal, securing only 17 seats against the 30 won by the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Shinde, who is currently in Delhi for the NDA meeting, strongly opposed Fadnavis’ proposal. He defended the government’s performance, stating, “The narrative that the Constitution will be changed is a temporary narrative set by the opposition which was chanting ‘Modi hatao’ (Remove Modi). Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an agenda of development. In the last two years, the MahaYuti government has made many good decisions in the state. We are moving ahead with the development agenda.”
Shinde also highlighted the impact of opposition propaganda, saying, “Trying to get votes by misleading the public is a temporary success. Due to the propaganda of the opposition, we fell short in reducing the confusion in the minds of the public.”