Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra will retain power with full majority and a decision on who will be the chief minister will be taken by the alliance partners after the state polls.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai after unveiling the Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto for the November 20 state assembly polls, Shah expressed confidence that the Mahayuti will win the elections.
All the three alliance partners -- the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party -- have released their manifestos and after the elections, a committee of ministers from the three parties will be formed to prioritise the assurances given, Shah said.
"At present, Eknath Shinde is the chief minister. After the elections, all the three alliance partners will decide on the chief minister," the senior BJP leader said.
He said the Shiv Sena and NCP split because Uddhav Thackeray prioritised his son over Eknath Shinde while Sharad Pawar prioritised his daughter over Ajit Pawar.
"These parties gave priority to their family members and the parties split. They blame the BJP for no reason," he said.
The BJP is against family-based politics, Shah asserted.
He rejected the Congress' accusation of BJP's plan to weaken reservations.
"It is the Modi government which gave reservations to OBCs. In fact, we strengthen the reservations," he said.
Shah also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's act of flaunting the Constitution has been exposed after it came to light that the book (carried by Gandhi) had blank pages.
"He (Gandhi) has now become the butt of a joke," the BJP leader said.
Shah said the opposition MVA's leadership has been targeting the Mahayuti government's Ladki Bahin scheme for women, but has made a similar assurance with a higher financial assistance.
"This shows their contradictions. Instead of taking a stock of our performance, Rahul Gandhi should check what is happening in the states ruled by his party," he said.
Shah also said that the Congress' caste politics was aimed at dividing the country.
He rejected the MVA allegations about Maharashtra lagging behind in investments.
"During the MVA rule, Maharashtra was at the 4th position (in terms of FDI) while in the last two years, the state has got the highest FDI," Shah said. -- PTI
IMAGE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule release Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto for the state Assembly elections, in Mumbai on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo