I only take up the big challenges, says Shinde at Aaditya’s turf Worli

He also hit out at Shiv Sena (UBT) over decreasing percentage of Marathi people in Mumbai, and over the party’s opposition to BMC’s decision to concretise roads. “They want potholes during the monsoon to get cuts from repairing contracts,” he said.

Shinde also said that when it is polls time, Shiv Sena (UBT) keeps claiming that Mumbai will be snatched away from Maharashtra, and assured that he would not let anyone take an inch of Mumbai. He also announced that his government will facilitate development of Koliwadas across the state.

At an event in Worli, Aaditya’s constituency, the Shinde faction and the BJP sounded the bugle for BMC polls and the felicitation event was used as a show of strength by both parties.

The fishermen community had organised the felicitation of Shinde for taking the decision to widen the span between two piers of Mumbai Coastal Road to 120 metres instead of 56 metres, following the long pending demand from fishermen of the area. Aaditya is an MLA from Worli assembly constituency.

In December last year, CM Shinde had said the decision to widen the span will cost an additional Rs 650 crores, but it would avert injustice to the fishermen.

The decision of widening the span and the felicitation gains significance ahead of BMC polls. Even as fishermen claimed the felicitation is a show of gratitude to the Shinde-Fadnavis government, the BJP and the Shinde faction used the opportunity as a show of strength in the Worli constituency.