Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar flash victory signs during a press conference following the Mahayuti alliance's victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections in Mumbai on Saturday, November 23, 2024. (Photo: IANS/Nitin Lawate)
Mumbai, November 23 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with his deputies, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, on Saturday, thanked the people of the state for the MahaYuti's resounding success, accepting the development politics and rejecting the anti-growth and negative politics.
He said the three MahaYuti parties would sit together and decide on the Chief Minister’s post.
CM Shinde took a swipe at the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially, SS(UBT) for repeatedly claiming that the MahaYuti government would collapse. The CM said that they did not respond to this by making counter-allegations. Terming the poll performance "historical", the Chief Minister said that MahaYuti’s responsibility to boost the pace of development has further increased. "We have won the hearts and not the votes of people," he claimed.
He took a dig at his former boss Uddhav Thackeray saying, "The poll results have proved that the government cannot be run by sitting at home or through Facebook but by mingling with the people and working 24x7."
The CM said the people have decided whose Shiv Sena is the real Shiv Sena. NCP President Ajit Pawar also determined whose NCP is the real NCP.
The Chief Minister also took a swipe at the opposition for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'Ek Hai To Safe Hai' call saying that it was given for unity. Fadnavis said that the 'Ek Hai To Safe Hai' call given by the Prime Minister was for unity among various sections of the society and today’s mandate was a befitting reply to those doing communal, divisive politics and appeasement politics.
"The election was contested based on the development plank and welfare schemes. People want development. They do not want vindictive politics," he said.
The Chief Minister said the government launched the welfare and development schemes after considering the state’s financial position and also adhering to the Central and RBI norms. "Opposition questioned the MahaYuti government about how the funds will be made available for Ladki Bahin Yojana but later they announced financial aid through Mahalakshmi yojana," he said.
The CM also criticised the opposition for terming financial aid under the Ladki Bahin Yojana as a bribe but said the government undeterred by such allegations focused on its implementation.
He thanked the Centre for giving funds and clearing a slew of projects for Maharashtra, including the Rs 76,000 crore Vadhvan port project. "During the UPA government, the Centre gave Rs 2 lakh crore while the BJP-led government released over Rs 10 lakh crore in the last decade," he said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Dy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar ridiculed Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's allegation of poll results as "fraud".
Entire Maharashtra behind PM Modi: Devendra Fadnavis
A visibly relaxed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the people of Maharashtra have voted against the toxic propaganda by electing those who are fighting against the fake narratives.
In his first reaction to MahaYuti’s stellar performance and BJP’s improved tally in the Assembly election, Fadnavis said that the poll results have shown that Maharashtra is solidly behind the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I sincerely thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party President J.P. Nadda, the state in charge Bhupendra Yadav and senior leaders for their support and especially the state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule who literally revived the party organisations in the past two years,” he added.
He said that poisonous propaganda that was being spread in the state has been rejected by the people of Maharashtra.
“I thank the people of Maharashtra. We are modern Abhimanyu, who finally broke the Chakravyuh (wheel formation). Entire Maharashtra is behind PM Modi. Ek Hai To Seif Hai, the slogan given by Modi has been made a success by the people of all the communities of Maharashtra. Thanks to our lovely sisters (Aldi Bahin) who have blessed us so much,” said Fadnavis.
On the issue of who will be the chief minister, Fadnavis said that Home Minister Amit Shah has already clarified that the Chief Minister’s post will not be decided based on the seats won by the parties.
“The decision will be taken by the national presidents of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP together,” he said.
On who is ‘real’ Shiv Sena and NCP, Fadnavis said that taking into account the seats won by the Eknath Shinde-led party it is a real Shiv Sena which is committed to the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray.
“It has got legitimacy. In the case of Ajit Pawar-led NCP, it is now a real NCP considering seats won by it,” he said.
Fadnavis also took a swipe at Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut raising doubts over the poll results and EVMs saying that in the case of Jharkhand results the EVMs were functioning well but in Maharashtra, they have a problem.
He said that the MahaYuti will not go by the number of seats won by the opposition but they will be honoured and their views will be taken into consideration in the functioning of the assembly.
Meanwhile, NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has credited the party's pink theme campaign for MahaYuti's spectacular performance in the polls.
“Maharashtra chose pink,” he said. NCP has contested 59 Assembly seats and is currently leading in 39 seats.
