Mumbai: Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Election, which is scheduled later this year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met with Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday. According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra CM Shinde at Varsha Bungalow and discussed the issues of the Maratha reservation, amongst others. Raj Thackeray also met Shinde at the CM's official residence, Varsha bungalow, in Mumbai. Two Maratha leaders, Pawar and Shinde, met, even though the Maratha reservation issue remains politically potent. Sharad Pawar is the only leader from Maha Vikas Aghadi who continues to engage with Mahayuti, especially with CM Shinde, despite Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray being extremely critical of him. This is the first meeting of Raj Thackeray with CM Shinde after the former expressed his desire to leave the Mahayuti alliance. He has been engaging with Shinde on matters of the redevelopment of the 'Chawls', an issue core to his politics as well. According to the CMO, Raj Thackeray met CM Shinde with the MNS delegation to discuss various issues related to housing, like the redevelopment of Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) Chawls, the redevelopment of the police housing colony, and some other housing projects. Some other senior Maharashtra government officials were also present at the meeting. Raj Thackeray earlier announced his intention to contest 200 to 250 seats independently in the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. In a sharp criticism of the state's administration, Thackeray challenged the financial feasibility of the Mahayuti alliance's plans. He remarked, "The Maharashtra government lacks the funds to repair potholes. How will they find the money for 'Laadli Behen' and 'Laadla Bhai'?" He further commented on the internal conflicts within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), saying, "If both Laadla Bhai and Behen were happy together, then the party wouldn't have split." Thackeray also addressed speculations of defections within his party. "I heard some of them from my party also want to join someone. I lay a red carpet for them. They can go immediately," he declared. In the 2019 Assembly election, the MNS only won 1 seat. During the recent Lok Sabha polls the MNS supported the BJP. The Lok Sabha polls 2024 have given a boost to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) winning seven seats, the Congress 13, and the NCP-SP one, taking the total tally of the alliance 17. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dipped to nine seats in Maharashtra against 23 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The vote share stood at 26.18 percent. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held later this year with the tenure of the current state assembly ending in 2024. However, the Election Commission of India has yet to announce the dates.
