India
‘Ek(Nath) hain to safe hain’: Shiv Sena leader adapts PM Modi’s slogan to pitch Shinde as Maharashtra chief minister | India News – Times of India
Sena leader Manisha Kayande amended the popular slogan to write on The Sena is pushing for Shinde to be allowed to continue as chief minister after Mahayuti’s spectacular victory in the just-concluded assembly elections.
Prime Minister Modi, who frequently used the slogan ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ during his election campaign to counter the opposition attacks, claimed after the results that ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ has become the new maha-mantra of the country . “After Haryana, the biggest message from this election is unity. ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ has become the ‘maha-mantra’ of the country,” the Prime Minister had said in his victory message to the BJP workers.
The Shiv Sena, which won 57 seats in the just-concluded Assembly elections, has insisted on continuity at the top, insisting that it was Shinde as chief minister who led the coalition and helped it win such a huge mandate. The party has also cited some exit poll surveys to claim that Shinde is the most popular leader for the top position.
However, the BJP, which recorded its best-ever performance in Maharashtra, winning 132 seats – just 13 short of the simple majority in the 288-member Assembly, is firmly convinced that its leader Devendra Fadnavis will be the next chief minister of the state .
In 2022, when the BJP joined hands with the Shinde Sena after the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Eknath was made chief minister and Fadnavis was asked to work as his deputy in a surprising move. After a strong performance in the Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena wants this arrangement to continue irrespective of the numbers. Some Sena leaders have cited the Bihar model to justify their demand. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar is the chief minister of the NDA government, despite his party JD(U) having fewer seats than the BJP.
The Mahayuti of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP did not project any CM face ahead of the Assembly elections. When asked about the CM face of the coalition ahead of the elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the three allies would sit together after the results were out and decide on the next prime minister. With the BJP needing just 13 MLAs to reach the halfway mark, it is clear that none of its allies can dictate terms to the saffron party.
Earlier today, Shinde formally resigned as chief minister ahead of the formation of a new Mahayuti government in the state and was asked by the Maharashtra governor to continue as interim commissioner CM.
