As BJP eyes his turf, Eknath Shinde strikes back with show of strength in Navi Mumbai

Banner of the Nirdhar Melava event in Navi Mumbai

As the BJP flexes its muscle in his Thane backyard, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is gearing up to hit back at his alliance partner with a ‘Nirdhar Melava' in Navi Mumbai. Since the formation of the BJP-led Mahayuti government, senior BJP leader and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has held two Janta Darbars (public grievance meetings) in Shinde's stronghold. These events are designed to bring the administration closer to citizens, saving them the trouble of travelling to distant state offices.

Naik, who is the guardian minister for Palghar district, typically would hold such meetings in his designated district, constituency, or party office. However, breaking from convention, he chose to hold them in areas like Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli, Badlapur, and Ambernath - Shinde's bastion. The move is widely viewed in political circles as the BJP's attempt to expand its footprint in the district.

Now, in a counteroffensive, Shinde's Shiv Sena faction has organised a Nirdhar Melava in Navi Mumbai - Naik's own turf. This will be Shinde's first major public event in the area since becoming deputy chief minister. The event, scheduled at an auditorium in Vashi today, is expected to see the induction of 10-12 former municipal corporators, mostly from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-UBT), into the Shinde camp.

Both the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena deny any political one-upmanship within the Mahayuti alliance. Naik and Shinde camp MP Naresh Mhaske have both downplayed reports of internal friction in their media statements. However, second-rung leaders in both camps seem to disagree. In fact, shortly after Naik's Janta Darbar, Shinde camp leader and minister Pratap Sarnayak swiftly announced plans to hold similar meetings in Palghar, where Naik is the designated guardian minister.

A senior Shinde Sena leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, told mid-day, "If the BJP is actively trying to expand its base, we can't be silent spectators. Our party too has every right to organise events and strengthen its support."