Political Tensions Rise in Maharashtra's Mahayuti Alliance

Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) alleges that the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are working to oust Ajit Pawar-led NCP from the Mahayuti alliance. Both BJP and NCP refuted these claims, accusing the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of spreading rumors due to insecurity about election prospects.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday accused the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena of orchestrating plans to oust Ajit Pawar-led NCP from the Mahayuti alliance ahead of the assembly elections.

However, both BJP and NCP dismissed Raut's allegations, accusing the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of spreading rumors due to insecurities over their election prospects.

'The BJP is employing a use-and-throw strategy,' Raut told reporters. He warned Eknath Shinde to remain cautious, suggesting that BJP's next target might be Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena.

NCP state president Sunil Tatkare rebuffed Raut's claims, affirming that BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP would present a united front in the upcoming elections and cautioned against taking such rumors seriously. Senior MLA Ashish Shelar of BJP also denied speculations about splitting from NCP, countering that these were baseless insinuations by opposition MVA in an attempt to disrupt the alliance.

Shelar added that the Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) had considered contesting the elections independently, sidelining Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and claimed Uddhav faced resistance when pushing himself as MVA's chief ministerial candidate. With assembly elections looming, talks about Ajit Pawar-led NCP's political leverage continue amidst the BJP's underwhelming Lok Sabha performance in Maharashtra.

(With inputs from agencies.)