Maharashtra local body elections: Mahayuti allies taking dig at each other with Ramayana references?

Many thought Shinde's statement was a veiled swipe at the BJP, hinting that they, too, could meet the same fate as Ravan. A few days prior to his statement, Shinde had expressed displeasure with the BJP for poaching his workers and leaders. As the “Shinde targets BJP” story went viral, Shinde Sena members quickly went into damage-control mode. Shinde’s public relations team immediately clarified that the statement was aimed at rivals, a reference to Shiv Sena (UBT), not the BJP.

Now, many in the political circles see the chief minister’s statement as a sarcastic response to Shinde. But Fadnavis was quick to make things lighter. In his speech, the CM stated that on his arrival in Palghar, many people asked him whether he was going to respond to allegations, as all had united against the BJP and its candidate Bharat Rajput. 

“I don’t want to attack anyone. I want people to vote for us based on positive work and for real development. I am not here for a mushaira where one person asks a question, and another gives a clever reply. I am here to talk about what we plan to do, the change the country has seen under the Prime Minister’s leadership, and what we are doing in Maharashtra,” Fadnavis added.

Despite ruling the state together, the BJP and Shinde Sena are contesting against each other and testing each other's strength as they face off in the Palghar local body elections.

Concluding his speech, Fadnavis mentioned that all of them were followers of Lord Ram. “Our candidate’s name is Bharat, just like Ram’s brother. If anyone needs to be taught a lesson, our Bharat will do it, especially to those who stand against development,” the CM stated.