Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said there was a power tussle in alliance for CM's post
Reportedly maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on monday said there was no race in the Mahayuti for the top position in the state as he mocked the power tussle in the maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to occupy the CM’s chair. In an exclusive interview, Shinde, while on the campaign trail, also pinned hopes on the voters of the state particularly women to ensure his victory in the upcoming maharashtra elections. He said “My voters have come here to support me, I am thankful to them and I am lucky that I have this kind of support. During the lok sabha elections, people showed whom the shiv sena belongs to and who rightfully carries the bow and arrow symbol. The same mandate will continue in this election too”.Meanwhile weighing in on the cm tussle amid murmurs of support among some sections for deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde said there was no race in the Mahayuti. He asked “In MVA, there are some people who want to show their data-faces and are competing to become the chief minister. When the MVA itself doesn’t like their data-face, how will maharashtra voters like them?". When asked about the battle for the “real" shiv sena with his friend-turned- bête noire uddhav thackeray, the chief minister said voters had made their choice in the lok sabha polls. “We are taking Balasaheb’s ideology further. We got more votes than the uddhav thackeray faction, which means Marathi Manoos is with us. The support will multiply by 10 this time."Moreover he also expressed confidence in the women of the state, saying the ‘Ladki Bahin’ have decided that they will support their ‘Ladka Bhau’ [sons and brothers] and ensure Mahayuti wins. He added “This is why those who had planned that this scheme should be scrapped will lose because they are against development". Shinde also sought to clear the air on prime minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Batenge toh Katenge’ remark, saying: “We are fighting this election on development and PM Modi wants people to come together and vote as is the practice in a democracy."