Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday addressed party workers at Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Vijay Sankalp Melava (conclave) at Worli in Mumbai. In a sensational claim, he said although the BJP had numbers to have its own mayor in Mumbai after the 2017 civic polls, it did not claim the post at the request of Eknath Shinde and Milind Narvekar who told him that Uddhav Thackeray was "disappointed". At that time, the undivided Shiv Sena, headed by Thackeray, was in power with the BJP at the Centre and in the state (PICS/SHADAB KHAN)
Updated On: 2025-09-16 11:21 PM IST
Compiled by : Divya Nair
"I still remember, I received a call from Eknath Shinde, who is now our colleague, and Milind Narvekar (a close aide of Thackeray), who requested that since the BJP and Shiv Sena were allies, the mayor's post should be given to Sena as Uddhav Thackeray was highly disappointed," Fadnavis said during his address
"Without any second thought, I discussed it with my colleagues and decided to let Shiv Sena have all the key posts," he further claimed
The CM also launched a veiled attack on cousins Thackeray and his cousin Raj on Tuesday and took a swipe at them for coining the term “Thackeray Brand”
The CM claimed that the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray was the true brand.“Today, there is only one brand: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi,” Fadnavis said
Referring to the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) credit society elections, Fadnavis remarked, “They [Thackeray cousins] were exposed and defeated badly.” He was speaking at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) conclave in Worli, Mumbai
