BJP-Shinde govt has no chance: Survey
The newest CVoter survey has predicted that if a Lok Sabha election is to happen today in Maharashtra, then the BJP-Eknath Shinde combine would get just 18 seats while the Maha Vikas Aghadi will bring home the remaining 30 seats. It shows that the revolt of Eknath Shinde against Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has not gone down well with the electorate and that the mood is not at all in favour of the new combine in power in the state. BJP has 23 Lok Sabha seats while Shiv Sena has 18 – 12 among them with Shinde camp. It shows that Shinde joining hands with 41 MLAs and 12 Shiv Sena MPs will not help BJP.
Central role: Fadnavis elevated, Gadkari out
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari last week said that if Devendra Fadnavis moves to national politics, then new Maharashtra BJP president Chandrasekhar Bawankule can be the CM of Maharashtra. Gadkari’s statement seems to turn true at least halfway now. He also hinted at going into ‘sanyas’ and taking a break from active politics. BJP has relieved Nitin Gadkari from the BJP’s central parliamentary board and election committee while Devendra Fadnavis has been elevated to the central election committee. This may be an entry point for BJP leaders in national politics.
Faction row: Shiv Sena staffers yet to get paid
Employees of the Shiv Sena office at Vidhan Bhavan have been deprived of their salaries for the last several months due to the infighting between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde factions. As per bank account record, both Eknath Shinde and party chief whip Sunil Prabhu’s assent is mandatory to issue cheques for these employees. The division and change in leadership, however, have deprived them. In the Shinde faction, the CM is the legislator leader while Bharat Gogawale is the chief whip in the Thackeray faction, Ajay Chaudhari is the legislator leader while Sunil Prabhu is a chief whip.
Sudhir Suryawanshi
Our correspondent in Maharashtra (suryawanshi.sudhir@gmail.com)