Eknath Shinde attacks Uddhav Thackeray, says no MLA was forced to support him

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday addressed the Assembly following the Speaker election and said while everyone expected BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to be the chief minister, Shinde personally never wanted the post.

It was his destiny, he said. “Till date, we saw people change sides from the opposition the government but this time leaders of the government went to the opposition,” Shinde said.

Speaking about the rebellion that made the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapse, Shinde said it was a huge thing for a common worker that so many MLAs, including ministers, left the government. “This was a huge thing for a common worker like me who was devoted to the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe,” Shinde said targetting the Uddhav camp that had claimed to be in touch with many rebel MLAs.

“Some said, we are in touch with some MLAs, sometimes it’s 5, then 10, 20, and 25. I asked to name them. Whatever the perception or anticipation, it turned out to be wrong,” Shinde said.

“BJP has 115 MLAs and I have 50. But still BJP showed a bigger heart and gave me the CM post. I want to thank PM Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda. I had no expectations for the CM post,” Shinde said.

“Now a BJP-Shiv Sena govt has taken charge, based on the beliefs of Balasaheb Thackeray. A Balasaheb’s sainik has become the CM,” Shinde said.

The Speaker election was the first number game Eknath Shinde faced after being sworn in as the chief minister on Thursday. A first-time MLA, BJP’s Rahul Narwekar who was the candidate of the BJP and the Shinde camp the rebel Senas won securing 164 votes in the 288-member House. The 45-year-old BJP leader, as Devendra Fadnavis said, is the youngest speaker in any state Assembly in the country.

Against Narwekar, the Uddhav Sena-NCP and the Congress combine fielded Rajan Salvi who managed to get 106 votes. The Samajwadi Party and AIMIM abstained from voting.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said now the Shiv Sena-BJP government under the leadership of Eknath Shinde will work for the people of Maharashtra. Former deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar congratulated Rahul Narwekar and said, “You are a hard worker. You also know multiple languages. I am sure you will do a good job”.