Mumbai: There seems to be a connection between Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his temple runs. After his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde sought blessings at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, which he revisited before the legislative assembly elections last year. After Mahayuti’s victory, his supporters prayed at a 100 temples across the state for his continued CMship. After assuming office as Deputy CM, Shinde rarely comes to Mantralaya and prefers meeting party workers and officials in his home town Dare near Mahabaleshwar.
Eknath Shinde Takes Darshan Of Goddess Mahalaxmi In Kolhapur
On Saturday, he took darshan of Goddess Mahalaxmi in Kolhapur, before launching his first rally in the new tenure. However, Shinde’s deep religiosity and stoic outlook is being read by observers as ‘calm before a storm’. First his rejection by the BJP as CM, the allocation of portfolios, the issue of district guardian ministers, and now the closeness of industries minister Uday Samant with the BJP; his quiet demeanour, observers said, is making it hard to read his mind. With his state-wide rally that began on Saturday from Jalna, sources said he has again swung into action.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar and the Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut have alleged that Samant may join the BJP with a group of MLAs, which Samant has denied vehemently. Without a fuss, Shinde held a few meetings with his trusted lieutenants and spelt out his programme.
If sources from his party are to be believed, he has decided on the public outreach programme by appointing district coordinators with a regional base. His party has also decided to strengthen the medical assistance department that played a crucial role when he was the CM. He has also asked his MLAs and MPs to maintain a public contact programme and ensure maximum allocation of funds for development works in their constituencies.
According to insiders, there has been an increased feeling that the state BJP is trying its best to belittle the Shiv Sena. As a result, Shinde has decided to start preparations for the civic and local body elections on his own. Currently, he is worried about the budgetary support for the next financial year 2025-26, preparations for which began with meetings chaired by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is also in charge of the Finance and Planning Department. Shinde is likely to cover all the districts where his party candidates won and where they lost with narrow margins.
