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The ads in question featured Fadnavis paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Lord Ganesh on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde. (PTI file photo)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday dismissed any talk of rivalry within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, saying he and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are working as a team, not competing for credit.
“We are not in a race to take credit,” Shinde told reporters in Thane, when asked about full-page newspaper advertisements showing only CM Fadnavis.
“Whether it is the Maratha community or the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, the work of delivering justice to them has been done by the Mahayuti government. The validation of this work was already received in the last assembly elections,” he added.
The ads in question featured Fadnavis paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Lord Ganesh on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi, the final day of the 10-day Ganesh festival. Both ads included the word “Devabhau” (a popular reference to Fadnavis in Marathi), but it remains unclear who paid for them.
When asked if the advertisements were a political move to position Fadnavis as the face of the Maratha reservation push, Shinde replied that he and the CM had already entered their “second innings as a team” and would continue to focus on the development of the state and the welfare of the poor.
“Now Devendraji and I have started our second innings as a team. Going forward, our agenda remains the same – development of the state and helping the poor and needy,” Shinde noted.
The remarks come just days after Maratha activist Manoj Jarange staged a five-day hunger strike in Mumbai, demanding reservation for the Maratha community. The protest ended on September 2 after the state government accepted most of his demands.
Following the breakthrough, CM Fadnavis said the government had found a “solution” in the community’s interest.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra comprises of the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
(With inputs from PTI)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
Maharashtra, India, India
September 06, 2025, 22:13 IST
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