Maharashtra Political Crisis: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has given an open challenge to Uddhav Thackeray. He has said that if even a single MLA of his faction loses, he will leave politics.

Eknath Shinde Challenge to Uddhav Thackeray: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched an open challenge targeting Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maha Vikas Aghadi. He announced that he would quit politics if even one of the 40 Shiv Sena MLAs who supported him lost the next assembly elections.

‘will win 200 seats in the next election’

While addressing a rally of one of his supporters MLA Abdul Sattar, Shinde said, “I am sure all these 50 MLAs will win the elections. If any one of them loses, I will quit politics. He reiterated that in the next state elections, his Shiv Sena and ally Bharatiya Janata Party would jointly get 200 seats or he would quit politics.

Referring to recent events

Referring to the recent dramatic uprising that led to the collapse of the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA, Shinde admitted that he was worried about its possible consequences. He said, ‘When all this was happening, initially there were some 30 MLAs, then 50 MLAs. They were all encouraging and supporting me. But I was worried, I wondered what would happen to him because he had put his entire political career at stake with me.

‘We are inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe’

Recalling how his group was labeled as dog, boar, and corpse by various Shiv Sena leaders, Shinde refuted the allegations that any of the MLAs were forcibly taken away and said that they were against Hindutva and the state. The development of the rebellion came together. He said the MLAs are inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe, who always considered the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party as political enemies and were feeling suffocated under the two-and-a-half-year MVA tenure.