Uddhav Thackeray’s ‘Putra Prem’ and Sharad Pawar’s ‘Putri Prem’ to Blame for Shiv Sena and NCP Splits: Amit Shah

The Shiv Sena and NCP split because of their respective leaders’ love for their children and not because of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah said at the CNN-News18 Rising Bharat Summit on Wednesday.

“Those who are accusing us of breaking the parties should understand that Shiv Sena split because of Uddhav Thackeray’s ‘putra prem’ (love for son). If Uddhav Thackeray had given Eknath Shinde what he deserved, this would not have happened. In the case of the NCP, Sharad Pawar’s ‘putri prem’ (love for daughter) is the reason for the split. Had Ajit Pawar been given his due, the split would have never happened,” Shah said.

The Shiv Sena, which had joined hands with the Congress and the NCP to form a coalition government after the assembly elections in Maharashtra in 2019, split in 2022 when Eknath Shinde walked away with a majority of the party’s MPs and MLAs and joined hands with the BJP.

Similarly, Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar walked away with a majority of the NCP MLAs and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government last year. The Shinde and the Ajit Pawar factions have been recognised as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena and ‘real’ NCP’ by the Election Commission and the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker.

Amid seat-sharing talks, Amit Shah expressed confidence that the BJP-Eknath Shinde-Ajit Pawar alliance in Maharashtra will win 40-plus seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Amit Shah had recently held seat-sharing discussions with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar in the presence of senior BJP leader and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

BJP had won 23 of the 25 seats it had contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while its then alliance partner — undivided Shiv Sena — won 18 seats of the 23 seats it had contested. The undivided NCP, as part of the opposition alliance, had contested 19 seats and managed to win four.

The BJP has declared candidates on 20 seats in Maharashtra even as the seat-sharing talks progress.

Amit Shah had also met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, the cousin of Uddhav Thackeray, in New Delhi this week. According to sources, Raj Thackeray was offered two seats. The MNS leader is said to be keen on the South Mumbai and Shirdi seats.