Shinde, the Shiv Sena chief and the second deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Mahayuti government, had reportedly been feeling constrained under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s dominant leadership. Shinde’s approach is expected to become clearer in the coming weeks as the BJP and the Shiv Sena negotiate power-sharing arrangements in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The development had left Fadnavis, then a former chief minister, feeling sidelined. Its allies, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, were left trailing with 57 and 41 seats, respectively. Despite pressing hard for the chief minister’s post and sulking for days after the results, Shinde was eventually compelled to accept the role of deputy chief minister under Fadnavis.

Source: The Telegraph January 30, 2026 01:50 UTC