Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Absence From Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' Thane Tour Raises Eyebrows

Mumbai: ‘The Mahayuti-2 government is likely to be remembered for redefining protocol - it is only on rare occasions that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde come face to face. Yet another episode along these lines played out on Saturday, with Shinde keeping his distance from Fadnavis's day-long Thane tour, though the former was on his home turf.

The Protocol

As per protocol, whenever the CM is touring the state, he's received by the district guardian minister and other ministers from the district. Accordingly, at Thane, Shinde, being the district guardian minister, was expected to welcome the CM and accompany him on his scheduled programmes. But no such thing happened.

On the CM's itinerary was the annual conference of senior police officers at 11 am and the concluding ceremony of the 35th Maharashtra State Police Sports Event at 3.30 pm. However, Shinde's itinerary had just one programme: Eknath Parv', a cultural show based on his life and achievements. However, Shinde’s party colleague Yogesh Kadam was present, as the minister of state for home.

In the recent past, Shinde was not present during Fadnavisʼs visit to Badlapur on February 18, nor were his associates in sight. But prominent faces from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP were in evidence. When asked about Shindeʼs no-show at the police sports event, sources close to Shinde said he did not go as he was the chief guest at the inaugural function. Another reason proffered was that he had returned to his Thane residence around 3 am on Saturday, after having visited Junnar in the Pune district.

All said and done, since the Mahayuti-2 government came to power in December last, the rapport shared by the BJP and Shiv Sena seems to be teetering, say leaders from both parties. A series of developments, such as the cancellation of various tenders, the appointment of staffers at the ministersʼ offices, and the ongoing spat over the district guardian ministership for Raigad and Nashik are some of the sticking points.

According to officials from Mantralaya, Shinde visits his Mantralaya office mostly on cabinet meeting days, preferring to hold his department meetings – urban development and housing – at the state guest house, Sahyadri, in Malabar Hill. He also conducts reviews of the industry, public health, water resources and school education departments, which are headed by ministers from his party