Maharashtra will reject fake narratives, Mahayuti will win: Eknath Shinde’s son

Exuding confidence in the ruling Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, Shrikant Shinde, son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, said that people will “reject fake narratives” as they did in Haryana, where Congress failed.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, the Shiv Sena MP said the party is approaching the election by showcasing the development work it has done in the past.
“We are telling the people what we have accomplished. During the Lok Sabha elections, a fake narrative was loudly spread, claiming that the Constitution was in danger and protections would be taken away. I believe the lifespan of such fake narratives is very short. Lies do not last long,” he said.
Shinde added, “You saw an example of this in Haryana, where they also tried to spread fake narratives. But today, in Maharashtra, we are focusing on the politics of development”.
He also rejected the argument that the victory pattern in the Lok Sabha elections, where the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) outperformed Mahayuti, will be repeated in the Assembly elections.
“Look, I will tell you here that the way we have worked in the last two and a half years, we are presenting only the politics of development to the people. We are showing them what we have accomplished. In Maharashtra, in terms of development, we are number one in infrastructure, number one in startups, and number one in Foreign Direct Investment. Numbers don’t lie,” Shinde stressed.
The Shiv Sena leader also alleged that key infrastructure projects, including the coastal road and initiatives addressing slum development and housing issues, have stalled under the Mahayuti and Congress governments. He emphasised that significant achievements have been made under the Mahayuti alliance. Shinde expressed hope that these developmental initiatives would translate into votes in the upcoming elections.
“I think you should look at your law and order. You are running Punjab like a criminal state. Let me take you back a little. When bomb blasts and terrorist attacks used to happen in Mumbai every day, who was behind this? In the last 10 years, there has been no terrorist activity in Mumbai or Maharashtra,” he added.
He also dismissed the disagreements among the Mahayuti partners, saying, “All three are together” in running the government. He added, “I think there are disagreements in families too, even among brothers. So, I don’t think this is such a big issue”.
Asked about the possibility of Eknath Shinde losing the Chief Minister’s post, the MP said, “In the Mahayuti, no one is ready to become Chief Minister.” He added, “Mr. Shinde started as a corporator, became an MLA, then a minister, and today he is the Chief Minister. No politician will say, ‘I want to become the Chief Minister'”.
Maharashtra will vote in a single phase on November 20. The vote counting will take place three days later, on November 23.