Amidst NCP Split, Sanjay Raut Says Maharashtra CM May Change In Coming Days

Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde may be replaced in the coming days in the wake of NCP leader Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joining the National Democratic Alliance government. "The chief minister of Maharashtra may be changed in the coming days," he told ANI. Taking potshots at the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government, he said there are two Deputy CMs and even the Chief Minister is not full but "doubtful".

"There is a phrase. One full and two half," he said in a lighter vein. "We have here two halves. We have here two Deputy Chief Ministers, they are half. And we have one full Chief Minister but he is not full, he is doubtful," Raut said. He added that the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government did not need NCP as they had the majority.

Raut also blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for resorting to the policy of "divide and rule" and engineering a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) now and in the Shiv Sena last year in Maharashtra.

Seeking to make light of the NCP leader Ajit Pawar breaking away from the Sharad Pawar-led party, he said the Opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) will nevertheless go ahead strongly in the state. 

Raut, a bitter critic of the BJP, said Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray spoke to the senior Pawar over the phone, while Congress leaders met him on Tuesday to express their support after the split in his party. 

Delhi's Sultan Enjoying The Political Game: Raut

He said 'Delhi's Sultan', a reference to the BJP, is enjoying the political game in Maharashtra, while Marathas, the most dominant social group in the state, are fighting among themselves, alluding to upheaval in the Shiv Sena last year and in the NCP now.

'Divide and rule is the BJP's policy. They engineered a split in the Shiv Sena and a party, which was like a family, was pitted against each other. Ajit Pawar has been pitted against Sharad Pawar. Divide and rule was a British policy,'' Raut said. 

Sharad Pawar Is A Confident Politician: Raut

Answering a query relating to the NCP split, Raut said Sharad Pawar is a confident politician. NCP suffered a split on Sunday with Ajit Pawar joining the Eknath Shinde-BJP government along with eight other MLAs. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar has moved a disqualification petition against the nine MLAs to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal along with Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Mundo, Dharmaraobaba Atram, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Patil joined Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra government on Sunday.