Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar on Wednesday, 3 June, alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers are systematically trying to weaken the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena at the district level in Maharashtra, calling such conduct a ‘slow poison’ to the ruling MahaYuti alliance. Speaking in an interview, Sattar said the friction has sharpened over the past 18 months and could hurt the alliance's prospects in upcoming Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.

Key allegations against BJP cadre

Sattar claimed that despite the BJP and Shiv Sena being formal allies — with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis belonging to the BJP — sections of the saffron party's grassroots workers were sidelining the Shiv Sena. ‘Instead of working together, they are sidelining Shiv Sena and consolidating power for themselves,’ he said.

He warned that what is unfolding in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar between the two partners, if replicated across districts, would act as a ‘slow poison which weakens the alliance’.

Erosion in Marathwada

The MLA flagged a steady loss of institutional ground for the Shiv Sena in the Marathwada region. ‘One institution after another has been taken away from us. Municipal corporations have gone, Zilla Parishads have gone, and now even the Legislative Council seat has gone,’ he said.

Sattar noted that the party still commands six MLAs and one MP in the region, yet feels squeezed at the grassroots. ‘There was a time when Shiv Sena was the number one force here… Despite having such strength, we are not getting anything at the grassroots level,’ he added.

Shift after the new government

Sattar said the strains were absent during the first two-and-a-half years of MahaYuti rule, when Shinde was Chief Minister. ‘When we were in power and Eknath Shinde was the Chief Minister, there was no question of realising these things. But in the last 18 months, I have clearly understood it,’ he said, referring to the period since Fadnavis took charge.

He maintained that an alliance partner should not be weakened by the dominant party, arguing that if the BJP — as the largest constituent — sought to ‘consolidate power by finishing Shiv Sena, that is wrong’.

Matter escalated to Shinde

According to Sattar, the concerns have been formally placed before Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde. ‘He listened carefully to every point for nearly three-and-a-half hours. Now the matter will be discussed at the party level. If the party finds merit in these concerns, we will raise them with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,’ he said.

He added that if BJP cadre were indeed undercutting the Shiv Sena at the district level, ‘that system should be immediately stopped’, and if not, ‘then perhaps the fault lies with us, and our leaders will tell us where we are wrong’.

On a Thackeray-Shinde reunion

Asked about the possibility of the two Shiv Sena factions reuniting, Sattar offered a non-committal reply. ‘Who controls Matoshree's remote? It is Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray. And who controls our party's remote? It is Eknath Shinde. As for the future of both, nothing can be said today,’ he said, before adding that the recent rapprochement signals between Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray showed political surprises were possible. ‘Some people won't even let them come together,’ he quipped.

Sattar's remarks land at a delicate moment for the MahaYuti, which also includes the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with seat-sharing for future polls expected to test the coalition's internal balance.