Maha ruling coalition will win more than 200 Assembly, 45-plus LS seats: Minister Samant

Mumbai, Jul 11 (PTI) Maharashtra Industries Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Tuesday night claimed members of the ruling coalition will together win more than 200 Assembly seats and upwards of 45 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra in the next year’s elections.

He reiterated the 2024 Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“With able leaders heading to the ‘Mahayuti’ (grand alliance), we are sure of getting a good number of seats. The Mahayuti will win more than 200 Assembly seats (out of total 288) and over 45 Lok Sabha seats (out of total 48) next year,” he told reporters here.

The ruling coalition consists of the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar group).

“Opposition members are scrambling to save their remaining leaders and hence resorting to lowly criticism,” he said.

Samant said Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray’s criticism of the state government’s ‘Shaasan Aaplya Daari’ (government at your doorstep) initiative is an attempt to boost the morale of his cadres.

“Those who speak in front of an audience and give speeches only in rallies can never understand the initiative of reaching out to people. They (government’s crirtics) know lakhs of people are benefitting from the initiative and Eknath Shinde has been reaching out to citizens. All their criticism is to keep their MLAs together; we ignore such statements and speeches,” he added.

Samant said Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis was subjected to insult by Thackeray, referring to the latter’s ‘taint’ jibe at the BJP leader.

“Back in 2019, they fought elections together and kept Balasaheb Thackeray’s photo alongside PM Narendra Modi’s. What happened next is for everyone to see. And now suddenly he (Thackeray) is throwing ‘kalank’ (taint) jibe (at Fadnavis). Constructive criticism is fine, but hitting below the belt and attacking on a personal level is not appreciated,” said the minister.

Samant said everyone in Maharashtra knows why Shinde rebelled against Thackeray last year.

“Was Eknath Shinde the one who threw Raj Thackeray (Uddhav’s cousin) out of the family? If they think resorting to such abuses and name-calling will fetch them votes, then they are daydreaming.”

Regarding distribution of portfolios to newly-inducted NCP ministers, Samant said, “The three leaders (Shinde and deputy CMs Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar) know who to maintain balance. They will take a call on the issue. We are together for the motto of realising Modiji’s vision of development.”