As the suspense over the Mumbai mayor continues with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena moving its corporators to hotels, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dismissed rumours of a dispute among the Mahayuti allies.
Fadnavis said that the decision on who will become the mayor will be made by him, Eknath Shinde and other party leaders.
“Who will become the mayor, when the mayor will be elected, where it will be decided, and for how many years, these decisions will be taken together by me, Eknath Shinde, and our party leaders. There is no dispute at all,” Fadnavis said.
His remarks came after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s “God willing” remark.
Addressing party workers after BMC election results, Thackeray had said that if God is willing, Mumbai will have a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor.
“It’s my dream to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, and if God is willing, this dream will be realised,” he said.
The former Maharashtra chief minister asserted that the BJP could not finish Shiv Sena on the ground as it “failed to buy the loyalty of people”.
He said, “They have registered victory through betrayal by mortgaging Mumbai. The Marathi Manoos will never forgive this sin.”
In the recently concluded BMC elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena bagged 29.
On the other hand, Uddhav Sena won 65 seats and its ally, MNS seven. Despite the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance getting a majority, a decision on who will be the next Mumbai mayor is yet to be announced.