There will be political earthquake in Maharashtra after Lok Sabha polls: CM Shinde
Mumbai, Jan 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday claimed that there will be a political earthquake in the state after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Shinde was speaking at a public meeting in neighbouring Navi Mumbai after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu', the longest sea bridge in the country connecting south Mumbai with Nhava-Sheva in Navi Mumbai.
The chief minister said under the leadership of PM Modi, the country was progressing at a "bullet speed".
"After the Lok Sabha elections, there will be a political earthquake in the state...We have to ensure that Modi returns to power for the third term with (the ruling alliance winning) over 400 seats, while in Maharashtra, the alliance wins more than 45 seats (out of the total 48)," he said.
The Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April/May this year.
Shinde said Maharashtra's ruling alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will face the elections on the development agenda.
The chief minister's comments come two days after state assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that Eknath Shinde's faction was the "real Shiv Sena political party", and dismissed all the petitions that sought disqualification of the MLAs of both the factions - one each led by Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray.
Dubbing the opposition parties as being anti-development, Shinde said the development projects stalled in the state were revived after his government came to power in June 2022.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
