'Devabhau' ads featuring CM Fadnavis sparks row in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance
Mumbai: A fresh political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra after full-page advertisements and hoardings across Mumbai projected Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as “Devabhau,” while sidelining Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The publicity campaign has raised questions about unity within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The row comes soon after the Maratha reservation protests in Mumbai, where Fadnavis appeared politically isolated as both Shinde and Pawar distanced themselves. Now, the sudden visibility of advertisements focusing solely on the Chief Minister has intensified speculation of a power struggle and credit wars within the coalition.
The advertisements, published on Saturday, depicted Fadnavis offering flowers to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and performing Ganesh puja on Anant Chaturdashi, with the tagline “Devabhau.” No mention was made of his coalition partners. While the sponsor remains unidentified, the scale and cost have fueled political debate.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that ₹40–50 crore was spent in a single day, accusing the BJP of misusing Shivaji Maharaj’s image for political gain. He questioned the source of funding and hinted at the use of black money. “At a time when Maharashtra is reeling under farmer suicides and heavy rains, such extravagance is shameful,” Raut remarked, further challenging the RSS to prove its respect for Shivaji Maharaj by installing his portrait or statue at its Nagpur headquarters.
Adding another twist, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar claimed that the BJP did not fund the advertisements. Instead, he alleged that a minister from an allied party sponsored the campaign without informing Fadnavis. “Who is this minister and where did the crores come from? Maharashtra deserves answers,” Rohit Pawar wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde downplayed the controversy, asserting that there was no internal rivalry. “There is no competition for credit. We are working together as a team under the Mahayuti government. Fadnavisji and I are in our second innings with the same agenda of development and welfare of the poor,” Shinde told reporters in Thane.
एकीकडे राज्यात रोज ८ शेतकरी आत्महत्या होत असताना आणि अतिवृष्टीने संपूर्ण महाराष्ट्र झोडपला असताना वृत्तपत्रांच्या पहिल्या पानावर तसेच अनेक विमानतळांवर कोट्यवधी रुपये उधळून मुख्यमंत्र्यांच्या मोठमोठ्या जाहिराती देण्याची सरकारची वृत्ती बघून मोठी चीड आली, परंतु मा. देवेंद्र फडणवीस… pic.twitter.com/IpLZjm8DUv
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
