Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday, 29 October 2026 pushed back against mounting criticism from alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that Shiv Sena has consistently honoured coalition values — even during internal contests — as a bitter post-poll blame game gripped the MahaYuti alliance following disappointing Maharashtra Legislative Council election results.

The Election Outcome That Triggered the Rift

The MahaYuti alliance — comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — managed to win only two of the five contested seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, claiming the Pune and Amravati Teachers' constituencies. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) swept the remaining three — the Pune, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' seats. Internal friction within MahaYuti is widely being cited as a primary factor behind the underperformance.

What Shinde Said

Addressing political queries on the alliance's fractured response, Deputy CM Shinde stated that Shiv Sena 'strictly adheres to alliance dharma' and expects reciprocal commitment from its partners. He underscored that the party has never wavered from coalition ethics, including during friendly contests. His remarks were widely seen as a measured but firm rebuttal to BJP's public accusations.

BJP's Charges and Shiv Sena's Counter

State BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban, in a post on social media, directly blamed Shiv Sena for the alliance's losses. Ban alleged that Shiv Sena failed to provide 'expected cooperation' in Pune and Nagpur, specifically pointing to the party's last-minute support for candidate Sachin Sanap in Pune's Graduate constituency. He claimed this diverted votes away from BJP's candidate. Ban also alleged that Abdul Sattar campaigned directly against NCP in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hurting the alliance's combined prospects. 'Out of greed for a single seat in Pune, Shiv Sena put its allies in trouble and lost the opportunity to win three seats,' Ban wrote.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Anand Paranjape sharply dismissed the charge. 'The notion that "we (BJP) will contest all seats and win all seats" is not appropriate for the MahaYuti,' he said, adding that BJP — which describes itself as the world's largest political party — should 'introspect on its own electoral strategy and internal discontent instead of shifting the blame of defeat onto its allies.'

NCP Calls for Self-Introspection

NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar adopted a more conciliatory tone. 'In any election, there are victories and defeats. Even when the results come out, self-introspection is necessary, and we will do so. We will try to improve. I genuinely feel that this result calls for self-introspection on our part,' she said. Her remarks signalled that at least one wing of the alliance is seeking to de-escalate rather than assign blame.

Thane Murder Case Adds Pressure on Shinde

Separately, Deputy CM Shinde addressed the politically sensitive murder of Shiv Sena-UBT functionary Pradeep Purnekar in Thane, calling the incident 'deeply tragic and unfortunate' while strongly criticising attempts to politicise it. He said he had personally directed Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre to conduct a 'completely impartial and transparent investigation from day one', and confirmed that the primary accused have been apprehended and the weapon recovered.

In a related development, former Thane Mayor Meenakshi Shinde submitted her resignation as Shiv Sena's Thane district women's wing chief, citing the distress caused by her name being repeatedly linked to the murder controversy. In her resignation letter, she noted that 'malicious allegations were bringing unwarranted pressure on the Shiv Sena's leadership.' Deputy CM Shinde said she had acted voluntarily to protect the party.

Condemning incidents of arson, highway blockades, and stone-pelting on police personnel in the Naupada area of Thane, the Deputy CM asserted that safeguarding civic peace in the district remains the state government's top priority, and appealed to all political factions to allow investigative agencies to function without undue pressure.

With Maharashtra assembly politics already operating under coalition strain, the Council poll fallout is likely to test the MahaYuti's internal coordination ahead of future electoral contests.