Devendra Fadnavis gave up opportunity to install BJP mayor in Mumbai in 2017 for Shiv Sena’s sake

Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, said Devendra Fadnavis  gave up the opportunity to install a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mayor in Mumbai following the 2017 municipal elections in order to support the Shiv Sena.

But Uddhav Thackeray repaid this gesture by severing the alliance with the BJP two years later, the CM said on Saturday at a conclave of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) workers here. Shinde also sought to assuage concerns of his party colleagues after the Nationalist Congress Party’s group led by Ajit Pawar joined his government a fortnight ago.

Certain equations have to be formed in politics. Looking at the development (carried out by his government), Ajit Pawar too has backed our government, he said. Shiv Sena controlled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from 1997 to 2022. Elections to the country’s richest civic body are due for the last one year.

The BJP had almost won the BMC (in 2017 civic body polls). Devendra Fadnavis was the CM. Our chief (Uddhav Thackeray) said we have been controlling the BMC and it should not go out of our hands, Shinde reminisced. But had Devendra Fadnavis decided, the mayor would have been of the BJP. But I told him that we are in the government, working together. And our boss’ (Thackeray) heart is in Mumbai, so you leave Mumbai (for the Shiv Sena), he said.