Shiv Sena MLA Shirsat affirms support for Eknath Shinde ahead of Maharashtra assembly poll results

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (West) MLA Sanjay Shirsat has expressed unwavering support for Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, stating that party leaders will follow his lead regardless of the assembly election outcomes. Shirsat emphasised the party's trust in Shinde's leadership, asserting that the Shiv Sena will accept any decisions made by the Chief Minister.

In a recent television interview, Shirsat was asked about the possibility of Shinde aligning with rival Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar to secure a second term as Chief Minister. He responded, “We are committed to whatever Eknath Shinde decides. We will be solidly with him. We trust him, and that trust will always be there.”

Shirsat, who was among the Shiv Sena MLAs supporting Shinde during the party's internal conflict in 2022, reiterated that Shinde consistently moves in the “right direction,” a sentiment shared by other party leaders.

However, BJP leader Pravin Darekar clarified that Shirsat's comments do not represent the party's official stance. He noted that Shinde's faction contested against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP, making any alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) unlikely.

In a related development, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar announced on Friday that if his party secures the necessary numbers in the Maharashtra assembly polls, it will align with the faction able to form the government.

In a post on X, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar stated, “If VBA gets the numbers tomorrow to support a party or an alliance to form the government in Maharashtra, we will choose to be with one who can form the government. We will choose power!”

The VBA has fielded 200 candidates in this election, significantly down from the 236 constituencies it contested in the 2019 state elections, where it failed to win a seat but secured a vote share of 5.5%.

As the state awaits the results of the assembly elections, which concluded on November 20 and will be announced on November 23, Shirsat maintained that any decision regarding Shinde's position as Chief Minister would ultimately rest with Shinde himself. “It’s his right, and we cannot even comment on it,” he stated.