Eknath Shinde was unwilling to join govt, says party colleague Uday Samant
Mumbai, Dec 6: Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Friday said deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not want to join the new Maharashtra government and instead wanted to focus on building his party.
But the Shiv Sena chief, who served as chief minister in the previous Mahayuti government, relented due to the demand of the party leaders, he said.
"Eknath Shinde was not interested in becoming deputy CM. Party MLAs and leaders insisted that he should be part of the government because it is his responsibility to ensure that the schemes he launched are taken forward," Samant told reporters.
After the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Shinde spoke to Shiv Sena leaders at the party office, he said.
"He told us he wanted to build the organisation but honoured our request," Samant said.
Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister on Thursday while Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar took oath as his deputies, two weeks after the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition won a massive victory in the assembly elections.
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Dakshina Kannada: Two girls drown while bathing near Kolyadakatta dam in Kadaba
Mangaluru: Two girl students drowned while bathing near the Kolyadakatta dam area of the Gundya river on Friday evening here in the Kadaba Taluk of the district.
The deceased have been identified as Arpita (15) and Sunita (21), both residents of Vimalagiri in Kutrupadi village.
According to reports, five girl students had visited the river along with their friends as it was a holiday. While bathing in the river, the two students reportedly entered a deeper portion of the water without realising the depth and began drowning.
Those accompanying them tried to rescue the duo, but were unsuccessful, leading to the tragedy.
After receiving information about the incident, Kadaba Police Station personnel visited the spot and conducted an inspection. The bodies were later recovered with the help of local residents.
