NEW DELHI: Cracks within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance came out in the open on Thursday after a Shiv Sena leader advocated for deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to be elevated to the post of chief minister.Speaking to reporters after the MLC election results, former MLA Ravindra Dhangekar said the outcome reflected people’s views of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.“When there are doubts about the state government’s image, such results are a reflection of it,” Dhangekar said.“When Eknath Shinde was chief minister, he helped Mahayuti come to power. Shinde should again become chief minister,” he added.Dhangekar’s remarks were quickly rebuked by the BJP, which said the Shiv Sena leader had no authority to comment on the issue.“Out of 149 contested seats (in the 2024 assembly elections), BJP won 137,” senior BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.MLC Pravin Darekar also lashed out at Dhangekar and advised him to “stay within his limits”.“The state is progressing like never before under Fadnavis’s leadership. He hates Fadnavis so much that he never misses an opportunity to criticise him,” the BJP leader said.“We never made any comment against your leadership and will never do so. We will not tolerate your attempts to tarnish Fadnavis’s image,” Darekar added.The remarks came after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won three of the five graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies of the legislative council that went to the polls on October 23. Meanwhile, Mahayuti bagged two seats.

‘Shakuni mamas in Mahayuti should be identified’

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane called for identifying “Shakuni mamas” within the ruling Mahayuti alliance after its lacklustre performance in the MLC elections.“It is time to find out whether there are any ‘Shakuni mamas’ within Mahayuti who follow the scripts that Uddhav Thackeray likes,” he said.Shakuni is a villainous character from the Mahabharata known for sowing strife.Rane said the ruling alliance had not achieved the expected success, but the BJP had still won two seats in constituencies it had not contested in the previous election.“We fought as one force in the assembly elections, taking up the Hindutva agenda, and the results were evident. Our allies must understand the strength of Mahayuti,” he said.“Our candidate was ahead by 4,500 votes in the first-preference count. The Congress candidate won because of Nitesh Karale’s second-preference votes. The Congress should thank Karale,” he said.