Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 : Reacting on Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's remark claiming that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be soon be replaced by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Narayan Rane said that Raut has gone mad and Eknath Shinde will remain the Chief Minister till 2024 election.
Talking to the reporters, Rane said, "Sanjay Raut has gone mad, our government will remain in power till 2024 election and Eknath Shinde will remain the Chief Minister of Maharashtra."
Hitting out at the unity of Opposition, Rane said that the entire opposition will not be able to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 elections and many Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders will join them.
"The entire opposition will not be able to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 Lok Sabha elections and as the election comes near, more Maha Aghadi leaders will join the BJP," he said.
"Earlier too, Pawar sahib said that his party is strong but today 40 people have left him. In today's times, it is not easy to build the party again. There is BJP government both in the state and at the Centre...Uddhav Thackeray is in tension, he has got nothing left," Narayan Rane said.
Sanjay Raut on Monday reiterated his claim that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar who was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra a day ago would soon replace Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Raut also said that 16 MLAs who were part of the split in Shiv Sena almost a year ago are going to be "disqualified".
"Today I am saying this in front of the camera, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is going to change. Eknath Shinde is being removed. Eknath Shinde and the 16 MLAs are going to be disqualified," Raut said while talking to ANI.
Raut further said that Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will fight "unitedly" in Maharashtra.
"BJP is breaking Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress but this will not benefit them at all. In Maharashtra, we will fight unitedly. It is shocking that PM Modi had said that the leaders of NCP are involved in corruption and now those leaders have taken oath in Raj Bhawan," Raut said.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday in a surprise and dramatic political move that changed political equations in the state ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls next year and has ramifications for national politics.
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