Why Eknath Shinde’s meeting with Amit Shah has fuelled buzz of Mahayuti cracks

Officially, both the BJP and the NCP described Shinde’s meeting with Shah as a “courtesy call”.

Amid the buzz that Shinde complained to Shah against Ajit Pawar while flagging his various grievances, the Shiv Sena chief said, “There is no discord between us. Everything is fine,” adding that “Amit Shah is a leader of the NDA and Mahayuti. My meeting with him was about informing him of various developmental projects going on in the state and in Mumbai.”

Ajit Pawar also spoke on similar lines, suggesting that Shinde would speak to him instead of making a complaint to Shah.

Sena sources however said it was a “serious discussion”. “Obviously, Shah and Shinde are not going to chat on weather and cricket. It has to be a serious discussion on politics and government business,” a party leader said.

Sources said the Sena has been upset with its partners over multiple things, with Shinde bringing to Shah’s notice the “growing sense of its alienation within the Mahayuti”.

The Sena has been upset over the “cuts” in the Budget allocations for the departments held by its ministers, claiming that Ajit Pawar, who is also Finance Minister, has given them “raw deal” as compared to those held by the ministers of the BJP and the NCP.

The Shinde Sena has also been irked by a series of measures taken by Fadnavis in the name of administration reforms. In the wake of Fadnavis’s decision to disallow appointment of individuals with tainted credentials as the ministers’ personal assistant (PA) or officers on special duty (OSD), several such appointments proposed by the Sena were questioned or rejected, sources said.

Another row erupted after an IAS officer with the additional chief secretary rank, Sanjay Sethi, was appointed as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) chairman. He was eventually replaced with the Sena’s Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik following Shinde’s strong protest.

Fadnavis took some other steps recently to placate the Sena chief, which include his order that all files should be routed from Ajit Pawar to him through Shinde.

Meanwhile, thousands of the MSRTC employees got only 56% of their salary due to non-release of adequate funds by the Finance Department, which the Sena said dented its image.

Sources said Shinde also complained to Shah about “interference” in his Urban Development Department and that several decisions taken during his previous tenure as the CM has been marked for a review.

“Shinde seems to find himself outplayed by Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar,” said an observer.

Last month, in another setback to Shinde, Fadnavis did not give extension to his close aide Ajay Ashar, a real estate developer, as the vice-chairperson of MITRA (Maharashtra Institution for Transformation), a state government think tank on the lines of NITI Aayog, after his term ended. What created more resentment among the Sena leaders was the CM’s move to appoint NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil in Ashar’s place.

A BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “Shinde was given the CM’s position in June 2022. He had then absolute powers to take decisions without being questioned. After the November 2024 Assembly poll results, in light of the respective numbers of the Mahayuti allies, he had to climb down to the Deputy CM’s post. Hence he cannot expect the same authority that he enjoyed earlier.”

“With the BJP’s near-majority mandate, Fadnavis has to ensure good governance complete with transparency and accountability. He cannot resort to ad hoc decisions to appease a party or MLAs,” the BJP leader said.

The dispute over the guardianship of Raigad and Nashik districts has also created fissures between the three Mahayuti allies.

Sena Minister Sanjay Shirsat said, “We have a legitimate right over the Raigad guardian minister’s post. Why we should not get it?”

In January, the Fadnavis dispensation appointed the guardian ministers for

the state’s 36 districts. Sena Ministers Bharat Gogawale and Dadasaheb Bhuse staked their respective claims on the guardianship position for Raigad and Nashik districts, which were allotted to NCP Minister Aditi Tatkare and BJP Minister Girish Mahajan respectively.

After the Shinde Sena opposed it publicly, Fadnavis immediately stayed the guardianship decision for Raigad and Nashik, with the matter since hanging fire.