State BJP upset with Shinde Sena ad putting CM ahead of Fadnavis

State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “These advertisements and surveys don’t mean anything to us. Ultimately, what will matter is what people think and whom they vote for in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.”

Treading cautiously, he added, “The Shiv Sena and BJP are allies. Shinde gets the leadership being the head of state. We don’t consider anybody big or small. Moreover, as far as Fadnavis is concerned everybody knows his popularity and administrative ability as CM ( 2014-2019). And now as DyCM.”

The extent of displeasure can be gauged from the fact that Fadnavis cancelled his outreach programme — Sarkar Apla Dari — with Shinde in Kolhapur on Tuesday. Officially, Fadnavis’ office said he was unwell and had been advised not to fly for at least three days.

The development also saw the Opposition intensifying its attack on Shinde and rallying around Fadnavis. Buoyed by the attack on Shinde by the Opposition, state BJP leaders said that Shinde’s attempt to project himself as more popular than Fadnavis has boomeranged.

The differences between the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena surfaced recently with local BJP leaders and workers passing a resolution not to field Shrikant Shinde as the candidate from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat. The decision on Shrikant Shinde, which had the backing of top state BJP leaders, was perceived as a move to tame the Shinde Sena’s growing assertiveness ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Opposition leader in the State Legislative Council Praveen Darekar said, “Every party has a right to promote itself. But you don’t become taller by showing someone small.”

The advertisement by the Shinde Sena claims that 26.1 per cent people preferred Shinde as CM, while 23.2 per cent preferred Fadnavis as CM.

Underplaying the issue, senior BJP leader and MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said, “The Shiv Sena has given the advertisement based on some TV survey. An earlier newspaper survey had showed that the BJP was ahead and would win 130 to 135 seats in the Assembly polls.”

According to Bhatkhalkar, Fadnavis himself had announced that the Shiv Sena and BJP would contest all elections together as allies under Shinde’s leadership in 2024.

The BJP and Shiv Sena alliance was formed on June 30 last year. Apart from the CM and deputy CM, there are 18 ministers — nine each from the BJP and Shiv Sena — in the Cabinet.

With the first anniversary of the Shinde-Fadnavis government on June 30, some course correction in the government with regard to “poor performance” of Shinde ministers was discussed behind closed doors. The “unsatisfactory” performance of five Shinde group ministers — Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, Sandipan Bhumre, Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod — was discussed. Apart from this, some sitting MPs in the Shinde camp, it was alleged, were keen on contesting on BJP’s lotus symbol in the 2024 polls.

Amid these developments and discussions, Shinde’s challenge to keep all 40 MLAs and 13 MPs together has multiplied. Secondly, the BJP’s ‘big brother attitude’ when it came to poll strategy has not gone well within the Shinde faction.

Last week, the BJP appointed in-charge for all 48 Lok Sabha and 288 Assembly constituencies. All these in-charge belong to the BJP.

A senior BJP strategist, requesting anonymity, said, “Through the advertisement, Shinde is trying to assert his leadership in Maharashtra. He wants to show the BJP may be bigger and more powerful, but it will require its support in the 2024 polls.”

On its own, the BJP, since it formation, has never won more than 23 seats out of 48 in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the Assembly polls, the BJP’s highest tally has been 122 out of 288 seats in the 2014 polls. In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP won 105 seats.

Without the alliance, the BJP reckons it will not be able to cross 42-plus seats in the Lok Sabha and 200-plus seats in the Assembly polls on its own.

According to a source, “When Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Mumbai last month some state leaders brought to his notice how the Shinde faction was proving to be a baggage because of ‘poor performance’ of its ministers. Shinde has not been able to dent Uddhav Thackeray’s hold among Sainiks at the grassroots.” According to the senior functionary, “Shah said that the BJP was in power in Maharashtra because of Shinde. The BJP could dislodge the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) because of Shinde’s revolt.”