Fadnavis served as chief minister twice, from 2014 to 2019 and for 72 hours in 2019 when Ajit Pawar joined hands with him in a short-lived alliance government. "I told a few people jokingly that when you (an apparent reference to the BJP) told Eknath Shinde to come along with these many MLAs and he would be made chief minister.....You should have asked me. I would have brought the entire party along," quipped Pawar.

"Whatever happens in life is planned by destiny," Pawar said with a mock seriousness, evoking laughter. The NCP chief has not concealed his ambition to occupy the top post in the state in the past. Shinde led a rebellion with 39 MLAs against then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 which led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde then became the chief minister.

Poll

Do you think pothole-free roads for Ganeshotsav will impact Mumbai`s traffic conditions during the festival?

Yes 33.25%

No 35.09%

Maybe 31.66%

Submit

View All In Poll

Pawar said he has seen several chief ministers, but none like Shinde who is surrounded by people all the time. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis noted that he himself is someone who became chief minister, leader of Opposition and then a deputy chief minister during a single assembly term (between 2019 and 2024). Similarly, Pawar became deputy chief minister, the leader of Opposition and again a deputy chief minister during the same period, he said.

Speaking to reporters later, CM Shinde expressed confidence that his government would retain power after the assembly elections, thanks to its focus on development and welfare schemes over the past two years. "The Mahayuti government has worked as a team, prioritizing both development and welfare schemes," he said. He also announced that funds under the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' would be credited to the accounts of eligible women across the state before the Raksha Bandhan festival.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever