Sanjay Raut claims Shinde is desperate to become CM, ready to merge Shiv Sena with BJP

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre hit back at Raut, saying that he is used to making such statements and even his party people do not take him seriously now. Speaking to reporters, Raut said, Eknath Shinde told Amit Shah in his meeting that Fadnavis is not letting him work and is getting investigations done against his MLAs.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday took a dig at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying that he is so desperate to become the Chief Minister that he has even offered to merge Shiv Sena with BJP. Raut claimed that Shinde complained about Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

However, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre hit back at Raut, saying that he is used to making such statements and even his party people do not take him seriously now. Speaking to reporters, Raut said, Eknath Shinde told Amit Shah in his meeting that Fadnavis is not letting him work and is getting investigations done against his MLAs.

Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, further alleged that Shinde also told Shah that efforts to strengthen Marathi unity were harmful to his party and it was necessary to weaken the movement. Raut was referring to the joint Vijay Rally of Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray. The rally was held after the government withdrew two controversial orders related to making Hindi 'compulsory' and three-language formula from class one to five.

Raut claimed, Shinde told Shah that if he is made the chief minister, such activities can be stopped and there can be stability in Maharashtra politics. He further said that when Amit Shah said that the chief minister's post will be with the BJP, Shinde talked about merging Shiv Sena with the BJP. Raut said, there is such a strong desire to become the chief minister that he is even ready to merge his party with the BJP.

This is not the first time Sanjay Raut has made such claims about the Shinde faction or the BJP. In January, Raut had claimed that Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant could become the third deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and that there were differences between him and Shinde. He had also said that the horns of the buffalo sacrificed during Shinde's visit to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati were buried in the chief minister's residence 'Varsha' so that no one else could get the post. When Shinde became the chief minister in 2022, Raut had said that this government would not last long, but the Mahayuti government led by Shinde returned to power again with a huge majority.