Alliance woes in Maharashtra? People from varied backgrounds bound to disagree in coalition govt, says minister

Mumbai: Amid speculations about a rift in the ruling Mahayuti, Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Chandrakant Patil has said it was natural for people of different backgrounds to have disagreements in a coalition government.

The state higher and technical education minister was reacting to reports that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde complained to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Speaking to reporters, he said, "Even when people of the same blood live under one roof, there are disagreements. People from different backgrounds have come together in a coalition government, and if there is no noise in such a scenario, one might have to check if they are alive or not." Patil said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Shinde and Pawar, come from different backgrounds.

"When such people come together, there will naturally be some noise. That noise shows they are alive. It is necessary to express discontent," he said.

The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is reportedly upset that some files from ministries held by the party are stuck with Pawar, who is also the finance minister.

There is also speculation about the Shiv Sena being miffed at Fadnavis reversing some decisions taken by the previous Shinde government.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, came to power in December after a landslide victory in the assembly polls.

Shinde, who was the chief minister from June 2022, however, had to be content with the deputy CM’s post in the Fadnavis government.