Tension between MahaYuti alliance partners Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena sharpened on Friday, 23 October in Mumbai, after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil played an audio clip at a press conference, alleging a payout to political figures. The clip has triggered a sharp verbal duel within the ruling coalition, with Shiv Sena accusing the BJP of orchestrating a conspiracy against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, while the BJP has hit back, calling the allegations reckless and demanding a probe.

Kadam's Allegations Against the BJP

Shiv Sena leader and former minister Ramdas Kadam levelled serious allegations at the BJP at a press conference, claiming the party was attempting to 'backstab' Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde by using Jarange Patil as a pawn. Kadam asserted that the audio clip played by Jarange Patil was not AI-generated, but was instead linked to the BJP — directly contradicting the BJP's own position on the clip's origin.

Kadam displayed photographs of BJP MLA Prasad Lad and Jarange Patil together, claiming the two had held a 32-minute meeting. 'A soldier who runs day and night for the Maratha community delivered this clip to me. I do not speak without evidence,' Kadam said. He also noted that the name of BJP legislator Pravin Darekar appeared in the purported clip, and demanded a formal investigation.

Kadam confirmed he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging action on the matter.

BJP Fires Back at Kadam

BJP legislator Pravin Darekar strongly criticised Kadam's remarks, calling them inappropriate for a senior leader within a ruling coalition. 'Ramdas Kadam is a senior leader. One of his sons is the Minister of State for Home, and another is the Chairman of the MPCB. Making such statements while being together in power is not correct,' Darekar said.

Darekar called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the audio clip, but rejected the accusation that the BJP manufactured it. He also turned the tables on Kadam, questioning who had provided political backing to Jarange Patil's agitation and who had allegedly worked to undermine Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 'Whoever fueled Jarange Patil's agitation will eventually come to light,' he said.

Lad Denies Charges, Urges Internal Dialogue

BJP MLA Prasad Lad, directly named by Kadam over his alleged proximity to Jarange Patil, denied the charges. Lad stated that Kadam should have first consulted Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Shinde before making such public claims — signalling that the intra-coalition dispute could have been handled internally rather than aired in front of cameras.

Jarange Patil and the Maratha Quota Fault Line

The row comes against the backdrop of the long-running Maratha reservation agitation, which has periodically roiled Maharashtra's political landscape. Jarange Patil has been a central figure in demanding Other Backward Class (OBC) status for the Kunbi sub-community within Marathas, a demand that has put the state government under sustained pressure. Darekar noted that while the BJP initially supported Jarange Patil's agitation, the relationship soured after what he described as personal attacks. He also argued that it was the Fadnavis administration, not the previous Thackeray-led government, that delivered welfare schemes to the Maratha community after the earlier quota was struck down by courts.

This latest flare-up within the MahaYuti — just weeks after the coalition navigated a difficult state election cycle — underscores the fragility of the alliance when regional identity politics intersects with intra-party rivalries. With letters now dispatched to Delhi and Nagpur, the dispute is unlikely to stay confined to Maharashtra's political corridors.