How many times Uddhav visited Maha CM's office when he was in power: Eknath Shinde camp

Mumbai, July 25: The Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena on Monday took potshots at party president Uddhav Thackeray, questioning how many times he had visited the office of Maharashtra Chief Minister when he was in power.

Referring to the party outreach programmes launched by the Sena president after the collapse of his government last month, Deepak Kesarkar, the spokesperson for the Eknath Shinde faction, said Thackeray's "public appearances" have increased now.

"We have raised three questions and we have not yet received answers. As the chief minister (November 2019-June 2022), how many times did Uddhav Thackeray go to his (chief minister's) office in Mantralaya and met Sena workers? Now, the frequency of his public appearance has increased," PTI quoted Kesarkar as saying.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had often criticised the 'absence' of Uddhav Thackeray in the CM's office during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rebellion led by Shiv Sena veteran Eknath Shinde and 39 MLAs led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last month.

Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister on June 30 with Devendra Fadnavis of BJP as deputy CM. Kesarkar also sought Thackeray's reply on the claims made by rebel Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale that it was finalised in 2021 that Shiv Sena will join hands with former ally BJP while it was still ruling the state in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress.

"We also asked Thackeray about the details of the claims made by Sena rebel MP Rahul Shewale that it was finalised in 2021 itself to join hands with the BJP. If it was true then why these 12 MLAs were suspended and the deal called off," he asked.