Mumbai: In a dramatic escalation of internal feuds, Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance teetered on the brink as Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde unleashed a blistering Ramayana-inspired attack on the BJP candidate in the upcoming Dahanu municipal council elections, prompting a fiery riposte from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The showdown unfolded last week in Palghar district’s Dahanu, where polls are slated for December 2. Rallying for Shiv Sena nominee, Shinde likened the BJP’s Bharat Rajput to the “arrogant Ravana,” thundering to crowds: “In arrogance, Ravana’s Lanka turned to ashes — and on the second, you must do the same.” We need development and an end to corruption.” Shinde, bolstered by support from both NCP factions under Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, framed the contest as a united front against “authoritarianism.”
Fadnavis wasted no time countering at a support rally for Rajput, whom he dubbed “Bharat”— Rama’s loyal brother. “We don’t live in Lanka. We are devotees of Rama, not Ravana… Lanka will anyway be burnt by Bharat,” he quipped, adding with a wink, “Such things happen in elections – don’t take them to heart. We are the Jai Shriram people. If someone says they’ll burn our Lanka, let them.” Although he dismissed the barbs as mere rhetoric, the damage had already occurred.
Tensions trace back to Shinde’s recent boycott of a key cabinet meeting, protesting the BJP’s induction of kin linked to his son Shrikant’s rivals in Kalyan-Dombivli. Shinde reportedly vented to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, underscoring deepening khatas that could unravel the fragile BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP pact.
As Dahanu voters gear up, this mythic mudslinging risks spilling into broader discord, testing Mahayuti’s cohesion ahead of tougher battles.