The announcement of the assembly elections in Maharashtra was completed yesterday. Following this, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, held a joint press conference today, during which they highlighted the state's development under the grand coalition government. At the event, a report card of the Mahayuti government's achievements was presented, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took the opportunity to criticize the opposition.
Eknath Shinde stated that the Mahayuti government has accomplished numerous tasks during its two to two-and-a-half-year tenure. "It takes courage to present a report on the work done, and the Mahayuti government has that courage," Shinde said. He emphasized that Maharashtra now ranks first in terms of infrastructure development, with significant projects like the Atal Setu, Samruddhi Highway, and Coastal Road completed by the government. He criticized the previous Mahavikas Aghadi government, claiming that development projects had stalled during their tenure, and that Maharashtra had slipped to the third position. However, Shinde claimed that after the Mahayuti government came into power, Maharashtra regained the top spot.
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Shinde further expressed his government's ambition to uplift the common people in the state. "We don't just want the common man to remain ordinary—we want to turn him into a superman. We aim to empower the common man," he said, referring to initiatives like the Chief Minister's Ladki Bahin Yojana. He noted that the postponement of the metro project had cost an additional ₹17,000 crores, funds that could have been directed toward empowering women. "Our target for the Ladki Bahin Yojana was ₹2.50 crore, and now around ₹2.03 crore has been disbursed into the accounts of nearly 2 crore women," Shinde announced, explaining that the funds were distributed in October, anticipating the upcoming election code of conduct in November.
Responding to opposition criticism, Shinde remarked, "The opposition claims that if they come to power, they will expose us and stop all the schemes brought by the grand coalition. But their exposure has already happened. People will not support those who halt these initiatives." He argued that the opposition's actions are driven by jealousy, and their remarks will ultimately alienate them from the public. "If anyone tries to touch our beloved sister scheme, they will face the consequences. Our beloved sisters will not listen to them. We have assured them that both the central government and we are working to make our sisters millionaires," Shinde added.