Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that caretaker Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was sulking and throwing tantrums at BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis with the backing of the "superpower in Delhi", an apparent reference to BJP's top brass. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut described the delay in the formation of a government in Maharashtra as anarchic.
He said it has been more than 10 days since the assembly election results were declared, but no party or alliance which has got a complete majority, has either staked claim to form the government or has given a list of MLAs which back it. The governor is yet to invite anyone to form the government, but the BJP's state president declares the date of swearing-in that would take place at Azad Maidan, Raut said.
"I feel some superpower in Delhi is behind Eknath Shinde's tantrums and sulking against Devendra Fadnavis. Without the backing of 'Mahashakti', Eknath Shinde cannot dare to do anything like this. No one has the courage to throw tantrums behind those in power in Delhi," the Rajya Sabha member said.
With the BJP pocketing 132 seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls, Fadnavis is being seen as a frontrunner for the Maharashtra chief minister's post.
Despite the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats, government formation is yet to take place in the state. The new chief minister will be sworn in on December 5 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Raut also dubbed the Shinde-led Shiv Sena as "duplicate Shiv Sena". Shinde has been unwell for the last few days. His decision to head to his village Dare in Satara district last Friday sparked speculation that he was unhappy over the way the new Mahayuti government was shaping up.
His aides, however, said he was not well and attributed it to exertion during the campaign for the last month's Maharashtra assembly elections.
