Why deputy CMs in Congress-ruled states are acceptable, but not Eknath Shinde, asks Maharashtra minister- The Week

Sharply criticising Uddhav Thackeray, Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant said those who call the post of Maharashtra deputy chief minister unconstitutional should first seek the resignations of deputy CM of their ally’s Congress-ruled states.

Speaking at a press conference held in Nagpur, Samant said Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh — all ruled by the Congress — have deputy chief ministers. “Deputy chief ministers in Congress-ruled states are acceptable, but Eknath Shinde is not — this is not Uddhav’s misfortune, it is the misfortune of Maharashtra,” said Samant.

In Maharashtra, Ramrao Adik, Chhagan Bhujbal, Vijaysingh Patil, R.R. Patil, Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis have all served as deputy chief ministers. Now Eknath Shinde is deputy chief minister. When the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance came to power in 1995 with Balasaheb Thackeray’s blessings, Gopinath Munde served as deputy chief minister, he recalled.

He further said that the Supreme Court had clearly stated in 2024 that appointing a deputy chief minister does not violate constitutional provisions. “When verdicts go in their favour, the High Court and Election Commission seem good to the Thackerays. But when the verdicts go against them, they criticise these autonomous institutions.

“In the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA succeeded, but after losing the Assembly elections, the Thackerays blamed EVMs. They kept demanding a return to ballot papers. But even in the BEST Credit Society elections which were held via ballot, they suffered a crushing defeat. Out of 15,000 votes, they could not get even 2,000. Therefore, Uddhav should not attempt to criticise Eknath Shinde,” Samant said.

“Shinde has proven his capability and leadership not only in Maharashtra but across the country. He is the No. 3 leader in the NDA. When he goes to Delhi, he sits right next to the Prime Minister — not in the sixth row,” Samant remarked, criticising Uddhav.

The decision regarding the Leader of the Opposition will be taken by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council, Samant said. However, he claimed that Uddhav will not make Bhaskar Jadhav the Leader of the Opposition for Aaditya Thackeray’s sake. He added that even by the next winter session in Nagpur, Bhaskar Jadhav will not be Leader of the Opposition.