CM Shinde dismisses Uddhav’s demand for mid-term elections

Mumbai/New Delhi: CM Eknath Shinde, who was on a two-day visit to Delhi, dismissed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction’s demand for mid-term polls and said the new government will not only complete its tenure but will get re-elected with a bigger majority.

- Bhavika Jain

“We have the support of 164 MLAs, and they have just 99. As per the Constitution of the country, governments are formed on the basis of majority, which we have,” Shinde said.

Reacting to Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s statement that rebel Sena MLAs were given 50 ‘khoka’ (crores) each, Shinde said he didn’t know what that meant, and the only ‘khoka’ (box) he knows is of sweets. “I have 4-5-term MLAs with me. You think they came to me for money?” he asked.

He said, “The existence of our MLAs had come under threat under the MVA government. It’s only the natural alliance of the BJP and Shiv Sena that can take Maharashtra forward.”