Political Tremors in Maharashtra: Ministers Skip Meet, 20 Shinde MLAs Contact Uddhav Sena

A day after multiple Shiv Sena ministers from the BJP-led Mahayuti government skipped a cabinet meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Wednesday claimed that several ministers and nearly 20 MLAs from the Shinde-led faction were in contact with his party.

Dubey told IANS that the ministers’ absence was a clear sign of unrest within the ruling alliance. “There is an old saying—if you plant a babool tree, you cannot expect mangoes.

The BJP colluded with Eknath Shinde to bring down our government. The consequences of that betrayal were evident yesterday when more than half a dozen ministers stayed away due to growing resentment,” he said.

Dubey further alleged that tensions between the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena had escalated, adding that central investigative agencies “aligned with the BJP” had weakened the Shinde camp. 

“A major split seems imminent. Our sources indicate that a few ministers and about 20 MLAs from Shinde’s group are in touch with us. But we are not rushing—loyalty must be tested. As municipal elections draw closer, this internal divide is becoming more pronounced,” he said.

Despite the government currently holding a comfortable majority, Dubey claimed that friction persists. “Even if Shinde’s MLAs break away, Ajit Pawar is still part of the coalition.

But the dynamic between Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis is not as strained as the one between Shinde and Fadnavis. Shinde’s only ambition is to sideline Fadnavis and capture the Chief Minister’s post, which won’t happen. That is why he repeatedly travels to Delhi to meet Amit Shah and attempts to build his own power base,” he alleged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the Mahayuti government on Tuesday, arguing that Shiv Sena ministers had skipped the cabinet meeting out of dissatisfaction over seat-sharing talks and fears that the BJP was trying to break their faction.

He termed the mass absence “alarming” and “an insult to Maharashtra,” insisting that cabinet meetings should be devoted to public issues rather than coalition infighting.

The Mahayuti coalition, which currently governs Maharashtra, comprises the BJP, the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-led group of the Nationalist Congress Party.

Also Read: Shinde Mocks Uddhav for Colour-Shifting Politics in Maharashtra