As the excitement surrounding the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections grows, a significant revelation has emerged from Thane’s Shiv Sena MP, Naresh Mhaske. In a meeting with party officials and workers, Mhaske shared that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was initially not planning to contest the Assembly elections. According to Mhaske, Shinde had been working under constraints and felt like he had "shackles on his feet." Just a week ago, Shinde expressed to former MPs Rahul Shewale and Sanjay Nirupam that he wasn’t interested in running and instead wanted to travel across Maharashtra.
Mhaske and others reportedly urged Shinde to contest, stressing that his presence in the race was essential. They told him, “You must come to your constituency to fill your nomination form, and we will handle the rest.” This intervention led to Shinde ultimately filling out his nomination for the election.
Shinde, who had concerns about campaigning for other candidates while contesting from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency, was convinced by Mhaske and his team to contest. The assurance from his supporters was clear: “Fill out the nomination, and we will campaign for you as if we are campaigning for Eknath Shinde himself.”
The Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency is now set to witness a direct contest between Eknath Shinde, representing the grand alliance, and Kedar Dighe, the nephew of Anand Dighe, who is being fielded by Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Notably, the MNS has not fielded a candidate in this constituency.
Shinde’s decision to contest is significant, especially after his split from Uddhav Thackeray. Since then, Shinde has faced challenges in Thane, where most party officials had switched loyalties to him. However, during the Lok Sabha elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi had limited success in the district, with only Bhiwandi being a notable win. This electoral contest in Kopri-Pachpakhadi is expected to be a major point of contention in the state’s Assembly elections.