The story of Eknath Shinde is nothing less than that of Mumbai films. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi even worked as a tea seller in his childhood, Eknath Shinde also started his career in Mumbai by driving a car in his teens. His political career began at the age of 18 and Shinde was a common Shiv Sena worker. He started working as. In 2022 there was a major turning point in his life, when destiny brought him to the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But political analysts considered his career over. Because he had split the Shiv Sena and joined the BJP. Opponents said the BJP is quick to sideline its smaller ally and will do the same with Shinde. But this did not happen at all. Shinde strengthened his position and prestige to such an extent that today his popularity is greater than that of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray. Perhaps this is the reason why the BJP considers him its leader for the 2024 assembly elections. And the C Voter survey also confirms this fact. How did all this change?
Both Uddhav and Fadnavis have a lead in the C Voter poll.
Despite all his criticism, everyone was surprised by Shinde’s amazing performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Shiv Sena achieved an effective success rate of around 46% by winning 7 out of 15 seats. His Shiv Sena’s performance was better than all of Mahayuti’s allies. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi once tweeted that Shinde Sena would suffer the same fate as current/former NDA allies like JJP, PDP, AIADMK, JDU etc. I had said to remember my words. Today you would not like to remember this tweet of yours because today Eknath Shinde is the brightest star of Maharashtra politics. He is not a Chief Minister who lives at the mercy of the BJP. He also takes his own decisions and remains the favorite leader in the eyes of the public in the Maharashtra elections.
C Voters, in its survey conducted this week, found that the public gives more preference to Eknath Shinde as CM than to Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis. As the favorite chief minister, Eknath Shinde got 27.5 per cent support, Uddhav Thackeray (23 per cent) while Devendra Fadnavis got only 11 per cent support. Similarly, regarding the government’s work performance, 52.5 percent of people liked Shinde’s work very much, while 21.5 percent found it average. While only 23 percent considered Shinde’s work bad. Perhaps this is the reason why at a press conference, when reporters asked Fadnavis about the BJP’s CM candidate, he pointed at Shinde and said that he is our next CM.
Impact of public welfare plans
In June 2022, when Shinde, along with over 40 MLAs, broke away from the Shiv Sena to form the government with the BJP, hardly anyone would have imagined that one day the popularity of the state’s big names would fade before him. Shinde probably achieved all this by prioritizing the implementation of public welfare schemes. The Shinde-led government launched public welfare schemes worth over Rs 90,000 crore in the state.
Shinde, ahead of her BJP and NCP allies, took credit for the Chief Minister’s Maji Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which around 25 million women from poor families receive assistance of Rs 1,500 every month.
After the Maji Ladki Bahin Yojana, the Shinde government also launched the Ladki Bhai Yojana, which provides a monthly stipend along with on-the-job training to the youth. Earlier this month, the Shinde government planned over 34 infrastructure projects, including new metro lines, bullet trains, expressways, elevated roads and tunnels, centered on Thane, the CM’s stronghold. 3.97 crore will be invested in these projects over the next decade, which is seen as a big effort by Shinde ahead of the important Maharashtra elections.
Ahead of the November assembly elections, the Shinde government announced several welfare schemes, including three free LPG cylinders a year, free pilgrimages for senior citizens and free vocational education for women from weaker sections. The Shinde government has announced toll exemption for light motor vehicles at all five toll booths in Mumbai. To provide relief to farmers affected by unexpected rains and hailstorms, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced loan waiver for 6.56 lakh farmers in Maharashtra in December 2023.
Eknath Shinde strong performance in Maratha quota
In Maharashtra politics, the Maratha vote share is considered to be between 34 and 38 percent. Till date, the BJP has not had any decent Maratha leader. That is why the party continues to focus on the votes of the backward classes. But now the BJP can benefit from the work done by the Shinde government on behalf of Marathas. The Shinde government announced earlier this year a 10% quota in education and government jobs for Marathas in the Marathwada region. Manoj Jarange-Patil, who had campaigned for Maratha reservation, stopped his protest march towards Mumbai after Shinde’s intervention. This was a great achievement for Shinde. Jarange-Patil does not attack Shinde, but keeps Fadnavis as his target. In this way, Shinde has established himself as a prominent Maratha leader in the state.
On the other caste front, Eknath Shinde not only weakened the Maratha movement but also established more than 50 state corporations to attract different caste groups.
