Read writing on the wall before you're asked to exit: NCP (SP) to Eknath Shinde

Amid escalating accusations of political poaching between Maharashtra's ruling allies Shiv Sena and the BJP, the opposition NCP (SP) on Thursday warned that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde — who heads the Shinde-led faction of the Sena — “must wake up and read the writing on the wall before he is asked to exit disrespectfully”.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ reported “reprimand” of Shiv Sena ministers over alleged BJP-led defections appeared “well-planned” and “coordinated”, contending that the BJP was “done with using the Shinde-led Sena”.

The remarks come amid renewed strain within the ruling Mahayuti coalition, which comprises the BJP, the Shinde-led Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and has seen repeated internal frictions since the November 2024 Assembly elections.

Tensions sharpened on Tuesday when all Shiv Sena ministers — with the notable exception of Shinde himself — skipped the weekly cabinet meeting in protest against what they described as the BJP’s orchestrated poaching of Sena leaders ahead of municipal and other local body elections. The boycott revived an old faultline within the alliance: the BJP’s growing dominance and the Sena’s corresponding fear of political marginalisation.

A temporary truce followed a closed-door meeting between Fadnavis and a delegation of Sena ministers led by Shinde. According to those present, the chief minister reminded them that if their own party was willing to attract members from other allies, they could not object when the BJP did likewise. Subsequently, the partners agreed to refrain from poaching one another’s leaders — a pact similar to earlier “no-poaching” understandings in Maharashtra politics that have often been honoured more in the breach.

On Wednesday, Shinde travelled to Delhi to meet Union home minister Amit Shah, allegedly to convey his dissatisfaction with the BJP’s actions. The meeting, however, has fuelled speculation that the Sena chief’s standing within the alliance is weakening.

In his statement, Crasto argued that the sequence of events suggested a deliberate political message: “The recent reprimand of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena ministers by CM Fadnavis appeared to be a well-planned move by the BJP leadership and a clear indication that the party was done with using the Shinde-led Sena.” He added that Fadnavis, being a “disciplined and obedient” BJP leader, would not have acted without the blessing of the national leadership.

“If he is pulling up Shinde Sena leaders and overlooking Eknath Shinde, it is evident this is planned and coordinated,” Crasto said, dismissing Shinde’s meeting with Shah as unlikely to “make any difference”.

“It is now very evident that the BJP is done with using the Shinde-led Sena. Eknath Shinde must wake up and smell the coffee, read the writing on the wall and read between the lines before he is asked to exit disrespectfully,” he added.

Shinde’s own political trajectory remains central to the brewing crisis. In June 2022, he led a dramatic rebellion against then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, splitting the Shiv Sena and, with the BJP’s backing, forming a new government. Shinde became chief minister, while Devendra Fadnavis accepted the role of deputy CM.

After the 2024 Assembly polls, however, the power balance shifted again: the BJP reclaimed the chief ministership with Fadnavis at the helm, while Shinde and Ajit Pawar assumed deputy CM posts — a rearrangement widely interpreted as diminishing Shinde’s influence within the alliance.

With PTI inputs