EC decision on Shiv Sena name & symbol on merit, says Eknath Shinde

“The government is formed only after completing all legal formalities. I don’t want to read much into the statement made by Pawar but only say that the ECI decision is completely on merit,” he said.

During his visit to the city, the chief minister met the family members of Mukta Tilak — the BJP legislator from Kasba who died in December — at their residence in Narayan Peth.

Both Kasba in Pune city and Chinchwad in Pimpri-Chinchwad are headed for by-polls on February 26.

On his frequent visits to Kasba in the last few days due to the by-poll campaign, Shinde said, “This by-poll will be won by the saffron alliance as it is our bastion. I have been coming to the area to work on resolving development issues of the constituency. I have discussed various issues including redevelopment of Wada, dilapidated buildings, heritage buildings…”.

The chief minister also said the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has accepted the demands of students to implement the new syllabus and pattern for the competitive examination from 2025 instead of 2023.

“The state government had urged MPSC to change its previous decision and accept the demands of students. We don’t want to take any credit but few political parties are trying to do so (take credit for the decision),” he said.