MumbaiNovember 21, 2025 08:00 AM IST
First published on: Nov 21, 2025 at 08:00 AM IST
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde’s frequent trips to Delhi and meetings with central BJP leaders amid problems between his party and the state BJP have placed him on a slippery footing and affected his stature as a leader.
Shinde has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah over a dozen times since the Mahayuti’s victory in last year’s Assembly polls. In the past month alone, he has met Shah twice, the latest on Wednesday, where he is learnt to have expressed displeasure about state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan’s “aggressive overdrive” in poaching his leaders, especially in the Kalyan-Dombivali area that is his son and MP Shrikhant Shinde’s backyard.
“The central leadership has conveyed their disapproval to Shinde about his ministers skipping the Cabinet meeting. He was also subtly told that while he was free to raise issues, he must bear in mind that (Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis and Chavan are only working in the BJP’s interest,” a source said.
That the visit came a day after his ministers skipped the weekly Cabinet meeting has placed Shinde in the Opposition’s firing line. While Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray labelled the visits “baba mala vaachva (father, please help me)”, NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Castro said they indicate that the BJP “has decided to finish its alliance partners in the state”.
Downplaying the speculation, Shinde told the media on Thursday that “everything was fine”. “We are contesting the (local body) elections under the Mahayuti’s banner,” he said.
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Earlier, Fadnavis too soft-pedalled reports of friction in the alliance. “The Mahayuti will contest the local body polls as an alliance, but local units are not keen on having ‘friendly fights’. We have told our party workers to ensure that there is no bitterness with our allies wherever we campaign against their candidates,” he said.
The first phase of the three-phased local body polls in Maharashtra will be held on December 2.
The BJP’s take
Though BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule tried to downplay the unease, saying there is “nothing wrong with meeting alliance partners”, BJP insiders said the party had only responded to the Sena poaching its leaders in Ulhasnagar. “The no-poaching strategy must apply to all alliance partners,” a source said.
Even though some sections of the BJP insist that the frequent Shinde-Shah meetings show “that the party values its alliance partner and is willing to look into their concerns”, it also aligns with Shah’s recent remarks about “not needing to rely on crutches” in Maharashtra and the party’s long-cherished dream of “shat-pratishat BJP (100% BJP)” in the 2029 Assembly polls.
“The central leadership is clear that the BJP cannot achieve this without a strong showing in the local body polls. The BJP is thus ensuring that pulls and pressures from allies do not jeopardise their organisational expansion,” a BJP insider said.
The BJP is also seemingly aware of Shinde’s “continued CM aspirations”. “The central leadership reckons that his desire for the CM’s post is impossible to fulfil, given the BJP’s 132 MLAs. Also, we are aware that we need to show results in governance. For this, Fadnavis needs to streamline the system and also take some hard decisions to bring transparency and accountability,” a leader said.
Admitting that Shinde played a key role in bringing the Mahayuti back to power in 2022, a senior leader pointed out that the Sena chief was “rewarded with the CM’s post (from 2022-2024) and by making him the Deputy CM last year, along with important portfolios like Urban Development and Housing”.
The Narendra Modi government at the Centre is not dependent on the Sena’s seven MPs. It is comfortably placed with support from larger allies such as N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which have 16 and 12 MPs respectively. “However, it is important to keep Shinde in good spirits as it shores up the NDA’s numbers in the Lok Sabha and reinforces a message of a strong and stable government,” a source said.