Only time will tell if people accept replacing Balasaheb’s son with Shinde as CM, says Uddhav Thackeray

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NCP leader Dhananjay Munde met newly-appointed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hours after the swearing-in ceremony, a close aide of Munde said on Friday.

The meeting took place at Fadnavis's residence late Thursday night and lasted for about half an hour, he claimed.

Munde, who was minister for social justice in the previous Sena-NCP-Congress government, was originally with the BJP, but quit the party after falling out with his uncle and senior BJP leader late Gopinath Munde.

Munde is known to have a good rapport with Fadnavis. He is also known for being close to senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar. (PTI)

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde will chair a meeting of the State disaster management department at 5 pm today in Mantralaya as Mumbai receives heavy rainfall of the Monsoon season. (ANI)

“Government will come and go, people will decide whether the move to replace the son of Balasaheb Thackeray with Eknath Shinde as the CM is acceptable. I don't know. Only time will tell,” says Uddhav Thackeray.

“The manner in which Govt has been formed & a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM,” said Uddhav Thackeray. (ANI)

“The wildlife in Aarey will be affected if you go ahead with the metro carshed construction. Please don't do that. The land belongs to the people. There should be balance between development and nature,” says Thackeray.

“There's a CM who actually works & can go to any corner of the state. There's a Dy CM who didn't wonder how would he become the Dy, being an ex-CM. Both of them have such knowlegde & determination that if they come together, they can change Maharashtra,” says rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar. (ANI)

“If BJP had kept their word, then the party would have a Chief Minister for at least two and half years. Now they won't have a CM face for 5 years,” says Uddhav.

Flagging environmental concerns, Thackeray said, “With folded hands I request you not to build a metro carshed in the Aarey forests.”

“If BJP had honored this agreement of sharing the CM seat with Shiv Sena, then the MVA alliance wouldn't have been formed. Why is BJP doing this right now? Rebel MLAs should ask this question,” says Uddhav Thackeray

“It's raining heavily in Mumbai, there's flooding. So, he (CM Shinde) didn't wait with us. Otherwise, our rivals might say he's being a tourist here in Goa-even if he would've held imp discussion with us. CM going to Mumbai for meeting with Disaster Management team,” said rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar.

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray will be addressing the media at Sena Bhavan today. This is his first address after the new government was formed.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said a new government in Maharashtra under Eknath Shinde has been formed by the BJP with a group of MLAs that split the party, and asserted that the Sena is where the Thackerays are.

Taking a dig at Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raut said had the BJP stuck to its word in 2019, it could have had the CM's post for two-and-a-half years and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) experiment involving his party, the NCP and the Congress would not have taken place. What has the BJP achieved, Raut asked after Fadnavis took charge as the deputy chief minister. “We will try to expand our party under Uddhav Thackeray.

A group split from the Sena has formed the government with the BJP,” Raut told reporters. He was responding to a question whether the new government under Eknath Shinde is a Shiv Sena-BJP government. Raut stressed that Shinde's move of splitting the Sena will not weaken the party. Springing a surprise, Fadnavis on Thursday announced that Eknath Shinde, who is leading the rebel Sena MLAs group, will be the chief minister. (PTI)

Special Session of Maharashtra Assembly to be held on July 3 & 4. On July 2 the nomination for Speaker's election will be filed, on July 3 Speaker's election will be held and on July 4 Vote of Confidence will be taken. (ANI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said his elevation to the top post is due to the masterstroke by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. “People thought that the BJP was desperate for power. But truly, this is a masterstroke by Devendra ji.To hand over power to another person despite having larger numbers (of MLAs) requires a big heart. (PTI)

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentions the matter seeking urgent hearing of plea of Uddhav Thackeray camp MLA Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension of dissident Shiv Sena MLAs from the House and restraining them from entering Assembly or taking part in proceedings till their disqualification decided. (ANI)

SC to hear on July 11, along with other pleas, fresh plea of Uddhav Thackeray camp MLA Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension of dissident Shiv Sena MLAs from Maharashtra Assembly and restraining them from entering the House or taking part in proceedings till their disqualification decided. (ANI)

“I don't think our organisation ever weakened…Nobody is upset,” Sanjay Raut told news agency ANI, a day after Eknath Shinde replaced Uddhav Thackeray as Maharashtra's CM.

Shiv Sena Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu moves Supreme Court seeking suspension from House, of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde & 15 other MLAs against whom disqualification petitions are filed, till a final decision is taken on their disqualification. (ANI)

“My colleagues (rebel MLAs), all 50 of them – 40 plus 10 – they placed their faith in me. That's why Maharashtra has seen a day like this. They are most important and that is why after taking oath (as CM) I have come to meet them. It is because of them that one of Balasaheb's Shiv Sainiks has become the Chief Minister today,” said Maharashtra CM Shinde after reaching Goa.

Eknath Shinde received a warm welcome from the other rebels camped at Goa hotel.

Ahead of his deposition before the ED in connection with the Patra Chawl Land Scam case, Sanjay Raut appealed to Sena workers not to gather outside the central agency's office.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan found Congress' move to send Kamal Nath to Goa 'strange.' Chouhan said that when Nath couldn't save his own government in MP, how could he save Maharashtra's government.

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray congratulates Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis.

“I don't think that the one who led MLAs to Assam had expected more than the post of Dy CM. But in BJP, as per order- be it from Delhi or Nagpur – CM post has been given to Eknath Shinde…The person who was CM & LoP has been asked to take oath as Dy CM. It's shocking,” said NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

“It was being said that Devendra Fadnavis is upset with Dy CM post but I know him very well. He is so efficient that he works well on all posts. He is an asset to the state. If he's there in ministry to finish his incomplete dream projects, it'll be good,” said Deepak Kesarkar, Shiv Sena

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday claimed that BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis did not appear to be happy while accepting the deputy chief minister's post in Eknath Shinde's government.

“I think Fadnavis has not accepted the number two position happily. His facial expression said it all,” Pawar told reporters in Pune. “(But) He is from Nagpur and he has worked as a `swayamsevak' (with the RSS) and there, when an order comes, it has to be followed,” the NCP chief said, adding that Fadnavis might have accepted a junior position due to this`sanskar' (values).

He also spoke about the alleged misuse of central agencies under the BJP government, claiming that he received letters from the Income Tax department regarding his election affidavits in 2004, 2009 and 2014. (PTI)

“A grassroots level leader, he brings with him rich political, legislative and administrative experience,” PM Modi wrote on Eknath Shinde on Twitter.

“I am certain he will further strengthen Maharashtra’s growth trajectory,” PM Modi wrote on Fadnavis.

The new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has posted an old picture of him and Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray as his new profile picture.

BJP's Devendra Fadnavis takes oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister.

Eknath Shinde is Maharashtra's new Chief Minister.

CM-designate Eknath Shinde arrives in Raj Bhawan with his family for the swearing-in ceremony.

Devendra Fadnavis arrives at the Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony after he agreed to the BJP Central Leadership's last-minute directive to be a part of the new government in Maharashtra.

A third chair added at the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 7.30 pm, for the oath-taking of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis after the BJP leader agreed to be a part of the Maharashtra government.

On the behest of BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji, Shri @Dev_Fadnavis ji has taken a big heart and decided to join the government in the interest of the state of Maharashtra and the people. This decision is a sign of his true loyalty and service towards Maharashtra. For this I heartily congratulate him.

Shinde supporters celebrate in Nashik ahead of his swearing-in at 7:30 pm.

In a dramatic twist, BJP national president JP Nadda announced that the BJP Central Leadership has requested Devendra Fadnavis to take the Deputy Chief Minister's post.

Hit by a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde and the resignation of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena finds itself at political crossroads once again, the first big challenge for party after the death of founder Balasaheb Thackeray in 2012.

In an emotional address on Wednesday night, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as Maharashtra Chief Minister and declared that he would meet party workers at the Sena Bhawan, the headquarters of the outfit in central Mumbai, indicating the tough road ahead to regain the lost ground to the rebellion.

As chief minister, Shinde could also be a magnet that attracts Shiv Sainiks to the new power structure, further weakening the parent outfit.

In its 56-year history, the Shiv Sena has witnessed many a rebellion which saw the exit of party stalwarts such as Chhagan Bhujbal (1991), Narayan Rane (2005) and Raj Thackeray (2006), but none matched the scale of the huge void left by Shinde that led to the fall of the government led by Uddhav Thackeray. (PTI)

After Devendra Fadnavis announced that Eknath Shinde will become Maharashtra's next CM, the rebel MLAs, staying at a Goa hotel, broke out in celebration.

Phansalkar succeeded Sanjay Pandey, who has retired from the police service. The 1989-batch IPS officer's appointment to the top post was announced by the Maharashtra home department on Wednesday. Phansalkar took charge of his assignment at the police commissioner's office situated at Crawford Market in South Mumbai around 4.45 pm. (PTI)

The residents of Dare village in Maharashtra’s Satara district, the native place of Eknath Shinde, who is at the centre of the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, recall the Shiv Sena leader as a “people’s man” and some of them feel that the decisions he had taken in the past later turned out to be right. (PTI)

Born in 1964, Shinde hails from the Maratha community and is said to have left education early to make a living. His family, which originally belongs to Satara district, moved to Thane in the 70s. 

Shinde spent most of his childhood doing odd jobs, at places such as a beer brewery and fishery, apart from his stint as an auto-rickshaw driver to make ends meet.  

While Shinde’s association with Sena began in the 80s, he soon became a close associate of Anand Dighe, the then Thane district Sena president who played a pivotal role in making the party a dominant force in the region. 

After Dighe’s death in August 2001, Shinde filled the void left in the Shiv Sena’s Thane unit. In 2004, he became an MLA, winning the Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat, and has represented the constituency for four consecutive terms.

“I will not betray the faith Fadnavis has placed in me,” Shinde told the media.

The BJP will extend support to Shinde's group, said Fadnavis, a former chief minister and currently leader of opposition in the Assembly. BJP is the single largest party in the legislature. “I will be out of government but will ensure smooth functioning of the government which is coming as an alternative after Uddhav Thackeray resigned,” Fadnavis said. (PTI)

“We went to former CM Thackeray with our constituency's grievances & development work along with advising him on need for improvement as we started realizing that it would be difficult for us to win the next elections. We demanded for a natural alliance with BJP,” says Eknath Shinde. (ANI)

“On one hand, Shiv Sena opposed Dawood (Ibrahim) and on the other hand, they kept such a man in the cabinet who went to jail on allegations of helping Dawood. They were in alliance with someone who insulted Savarkar,” said Fadnavis. (ANI)

After declaring that Eknath Shinde will be the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis said that he will stay out of the government.

Eknath Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and stake claim to form the government.