‘Fadnavis being kept out of PM race to benefit Shinde’: Aaditya Thackeray

Amid a fresh wave of political defections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has alleged that the rebellion is part of a larger strategy to curb Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ national ambitions and prevent him from emerging as the BJP’s prime ministerial face for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Thackeray reiterated claims earlier made by his father and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray that “some elements” within the BJP want Fadnavis shifted to the Union Cabinet to limit his political influence.

“They want to ensure he is not the party’s prime ministerial face in 2029. This benefits Eknath Shinde because his single-point agenda is to become chief minister again,” Aaditya Thackeray said.

‘Operation Devendra’ claim

Last week, Uddhav Thackeray had alleged that an “Operation Devendra” was underway to keep Fadnavis “at a certain level” within the BJP.

Fadnavis, however, dismissed the allegation.

“I am a human being. I don’t have wings, so who can clip them? I have the blessings of Maharashtra’s 14 crore people and my senior leaders, so there is no need to worry,” the chief minister had said.

Targets BJP over defections

Referring to recent political developments, Aaditya Thackeray claimed the BJP was attempting to weaken opposition parties across the country.

He cited defections from the Aam Aadmi Party in the Rajya Sabha and the ongoing political turmoil in the Trinamool Congress, alleging that the BJP’s broader objective was to “crush the voice of Maharashtra.”

Responding to criticism from defectors who accused the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena of organisational inactivity, Thackeray rejected the charge.

“What about Arvind Kejriwal, Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee? Don’t they meet their MPs? Yet their parties have also witnessed splits. MPs and MLAs are local leaders. Why didn’t they protest on local issues? The truth is they put a price tag on themselves and sold out,” he said.

His remarks come days after six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, strengthening the NDA’s numbers in Parliament.

On Sachin Ahir’s exit

The Uddhav camp also suffered another setback this week after former MLA Sachin Ahir crossed over to the Shinde faction and was subsequently elected Deputy Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Ahir was considered a close associate of Aaditya Thackeray.

Commenting on the development, Thackeray alleged that the move was financially motivated.

“When it comes to Sachin Ahir, that was another business deal. The sad part is that politics has become so commercialised that MPs and MLAs can be bought for a price,” he said.

He further alleged that ideology had little to do with the recent defections.

“They were bought by Mindhe (Eknath Shinde) to strengthen the BJP’s numbers for bringing in the delimitation Bill, which is against Maharashtra’s interests and aimed at changing Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution,” Thackeray claimed.

According to him, the larger objective was to increase the political weight of northern states in the Lok Sabha while weakening the voice of Maharashtra and the southern states.

The BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have repeatedly denied allegations that legislators are induced to switch sides.