MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday the BMC election will be fought together as an alliance, but in other places, the local party unit will decide on going independently or forming an alliance.
Fadnavis said in a democracy, it is wrong that local body elections are not being held. He said immediately after being sworn in, he asked lawyers to file a plea in court for an early hearing and get the stay lifted so elections can be held at the earliest.
The Mahayuti has nearly finalised the numbers for the cabinet, and the expansion of the cabinet will be done before Dec 16, said Fadnavis. The cabinet will be a mix of experienced and fresh faces, he added.
Discussions were underway on portfolio distribution. “Our numbers have been almost fixed. We have done an initial discussion on portfolio distribution but not in depth because the discussion was on how many people should be sworn in,” he said.
In a series of media interviews, Fadnavis attributed the 5% surge in votes to the slogan Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai. “During Lok Sabha, people realised they made some mistakes, and so people positively accepted the slogan Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai. People forgot their caste and voted decisively,” Fadnavis said.
He said Ajit Pawar said not to give the slogan Batenge Toh Katenge, give Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai. “Some Muslims have voted for us. We have not discriminated against Muslims in the last 2.5 years. Maximum Muslim women have benefited from the Ladki Bahin scheme.” He added, “Muslims do not vote for us because their leaders are afraid if the truth reaches them, they will have to shut shop. Hence, the leaders create fear among them. The realisation will come that they have to move with the mainstream.”
He said there was pro-incumbency because of the welfare schemes, and it was a combination of the two that resulted in a huge victory.
Fadnavis said Shinde agreed to join the government when he met him and not at the last minute.
On why Shinde was made CM in 2022, he said at the time Shinde rebelled and took a huge risk. “It could have finished him politically. I gave the proposal to my party that he should be made CM. Since everything cannot be told to party workers, they asked why? But we managed to turn them around. If this time we did not take the CM’s post, then party workers across the country would’ve been disappointed,” he said.
On MNS, Fadnavis said their ideologies largely match, and they would accommodate Raj Thackeray’s party in local polls wherever possible.
On the financial burden on account of welfare schemes, he said the debt-GDP ratio is 17-18% in Maharashtra. This would go up and require stabilisation of finances, which they would be able to do in 2-3 years.
The government, he said, took up the redevelopment of BDD chawls, Abhyudaya Nagar, Mhada layouts to provide affordable homes to the Marathi Manoos in Mumbai. The push for self-redevelopment received a huge response, he said. “Atal Setu has opened up the hinterland for affordable housing. Towards Virar too, we can now give affordable homes.” He reiterated Dharavi would be redeveloped, and all those eligible up to 2011 will be rehabilitated in Dharavi itself and the ineligible would get rental housing.
