Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link cost ₹7,180 crore: Sena(UBT) targets Fadnavis
Synopsis
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s party organ Saamana has accused CM Devendra Fadnavis of running a 'mobocracy' and presiding over a ₹2,500 crore cost overrun in the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link project — a ₹7,180 crore job that reportedly started leaking in its first monsoon. The editorial's sharpest charge: that the language Fadnavis used against critics inside the Assembly was the dialect of gangsters, not a Chief Minister.
Key Takeaways
Shiv Sena (UBT) accused CM Devendra Fadnavis of running a 'mobocracy' via a Saamana editorial on 10 July .
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link project's final cost allegedly reached ₹7,180 crore against an original estimate of ₹4,797.55 crore — an alleged inflation of ₹2,500 crore .
The 13-km project reportedly cost ₹540 crore per kilometre and began leaking during its first monsoon season.
The editorial alleged Fadnavis used terms like 'hired hands' and 'dogs' in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly against critics.
Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that corruption proceeds were used to purchase MLAs and MPs for ₹50 crore each .
The party invoked Maharashtra's first CM Yashwantrao Chavan and several former Chief Ministers as a contrast to the current administration's conduct.
The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday, 10 July launched a sharp broadside against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing his administration of running a 'mobocracy' and orchestrating what it called a 'global-standard corruption scandal' in the Mumbai-Pune Expressway 'Missing Link' project. The attack came through a scathing editorial in the party's mouthpiece Saamana.
The Cost Controversy
According to the Saamana editorial, the 13-kilometre Missing Link project — comprising two tunnels, an eight-lane road, and two bridges — was originally estimated at ₹4,797.55 crore. The party alleged that even accounting for standard cost escalations, the figure should not have exceeded ₹5,500 crore. Instead, the final expenditure reportedly reached ₹7,180 crore — an alleged inflation of ₹2,500 crore over reasonable projections.
The editorial described the per-kilometre cost of ₹540 crore as a 'world record in corruption', adding that the infrastructure began leaking during the very first rains of the season. 'If someone does research on the corruption of this Missing Link, they could easily earn a doctorate from Cambridge or Oxford University,' the editorial remarked.
Language in the Assembly Under Fire
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction reserved particular criticism for the CM's alleged conduct inside the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The editorial accused Fadnavis of using terms such as 'hired hands' and 'dogs' to describe citizens and opposition leaders who questioned government spending. It also cited the CM as allegedly warning critics: 'Questioning our corruption defames Maharashtra. I will deal with those who defame the state.'
Shiv Sena (UBT) argued that such language belongs to 'gangsters, not statesmen', and posed a pointed question: 'Are you going to cut the tongues of those speaking against corruption, or are you going to shoot them down like Karsevaks?' The party contended that the administration was running a 'mobocracy' — a government by mob intimidation — rather than a constitutional democracy.
Allegations of MLA and MP Poaching
The editorial further alleged that funds generated from such corruption were being channelled into purchasing the loyalties of elected representatives. It claimed MLAs and MPs were being 'bought' for ₹50 crore each, calling it 'a mockery of democracy'. The party accused the current dispensation of acting like 'Mughals and the British' whose policy was to 'loot and leave', with Fadnavis described as holding no genuine emotional bond with Maharashtra.
Invoking Maharashtra's Political Legacy
Drawing a contrast with the present, the editorial invoked the memory of Maharashtra's first Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan, praising his restraint, intellect, and statesmanship. It listed former Chief Ministers — Vasantrao Naik, Vasantdada Patil, Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Manohar Joshi, and Uddhav Thackeray — as leaders who understood the weight of their words and never used the Assembly floor to shield the corrupt or threaten opponents.
'Today, the state is not being governed; a Champat Rai-style cabinet is plundering Maharashtra,' the editorial concluded, warning that the ruling coalition's belief in its own infallibility would prove to be its undoing.
What Comes Next
The editorial offensive signals an intensifying political confrontation between the Mahayuti government and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition ahead of anticipated legislative sessions. The Missing Link project's cost audit and the CM's conduct in the Assembly are expected to remain flashpoints in Maharashtra's political discourse in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
And the cost-overrun arithmetic — ₹540 crore per kilometre, a tunnel that leaked in the first monsoon — gives that narrative a concrete, verifiable hook. The more telling charge, however, is about language: if Fadnavis did use the words attributed to him on the Assembly floor, it represents a breakdown in the institutional norms that have historically governed Maharashtra's political culture. Whether the cost figures survive independent audit scrutiny, and whether the CM responds substantively to the expenditure questions rather than through rhetoric, will determine if this becomes a sustained accountability moment or another partisan volley that fades without consequence.
NationPress
10 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link project?
The Missing Link is a 13-kilometre road project designed to bypass the ghat sections on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway , comprising two tunnels, an eight-lane road, and two bridges. Its original estimated cost was ₹4,797.55 crore , but the final expenditure reportedly reached ₹7,180 crore , according to the Saamana editorial.
What corruption allegations has Shiv Sena (UBT) made against CM Fadnavis?
Shiv Sena (UBT) has alleged a ₹2,500 crore cost inflation in the Missing Link project, putting the per-kilometre cost at ₹540 crore . The party's Saamana editorial called this a 'world record in corruption' and further alleged that funds from such projects are used to purchase elected representatives for ₹50 crore each .
Why did Saamana criticise Fadnavis's language in the Assembly?
The editorial alleged that CM Fadnavis used words like 'hired hands' and 'dogs' to describe citizens and opposition leaders in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly , and warned critics that 'questioning our corruption defames Maharashtra.' Shiv Sena (UBT) argued that such language constitutes intimidation, calling it the 'dialect of gangsters, not statesmen.'
Which former Maharashtra Chief Ministers did the Saamana editorial invoke?
The editorial cited Yashwantrao Chavan — Maharashtra's first Chief Minister — along with Vasantrao Naik, Vasantdada Patil, Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Manohar Joshi , and Uddhav Thackeray as leaders who maintained restraint and never used the Assembly floor to threaten the opposition.
What does 'mobocracy' mean in this political context?
Shiv Sena (UBT) used the term 'mobocracy' to allege that the Fadnavis government governs through intimidation and mob-like pressure rather than constitutional norms. The party contended that threatening critics and allegedly using inflammatory language in the legislature reflects rule by coercion rather than democratic governance.
