Eknath Shinde wanted to join Congress in the past, claims Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Member of Parliament MP Sanjay Raut claimed on Saturday that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde had wanted to join the Congress in the pastAccording to news agency PTI while Raut did not specify the year or month when Shinde who split the undivided Shiv Sena in June 2022 allegedly considered switching parties he made a reference to the late Congress leader Ahmed PatelI know what all was going on Ahmed Patel is not around now and hence I dont want to say anything more because he is not there to substantiate this Raut told reportersPatel passed away on November 25 2020When the reporters pressed for more details Raut added Ask senior Congress leader and exCM Prithviraj Chavan about itHowever Chavan declined to comment when contacted by PTIMeanwhile Shinde was not immediately available for his response on Rauts claimsEarlier former Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole had stirred controversy during the Holi celebrations when he offered Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar the chance to join the opposition alliance with the promise of a rotational post of the chief ministerWhen asked for his reaction on this Raut said I am speechless The only thing I can say is that nothing is impossible in politicsRaut also remarked that no one had expected the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government in 2019 or the unconstitutional government under Shinde in 2022 or for Bharatiya Janata Partys BJP Devendra Fadnavis to secure an absolute majority in 2024According to PTI the Rajya Sabha lawmaker further alleged that Shinde had no connection to the saffron flag of Sena founder the late Balasaheb ThackerayShinde and Ajit Pawar who split from NCP in 2023 are carrying the flags of BJP Raut remarkedIf everyone joins the ruling party the democratic system will lose balance Amit DeshmukhAn NCP legislator from Latur recently urged Congress Member of Legislative Assembly MLA Amit Deshmukh to switch sides to continue his initiatives in the district as a minister Deshmukh however responded by emphasising that balance was essential in a democratic systemDeshmukh made his remarks during the inauguration of the fourday Latur International Film Festival on Friday evening The event organised by the Vilasrao Deshmukh Foundation in collaboration with the Pune Film Foundation and the Maharashtra government was attended by various dignitariesDuring the event Vikram Kale a Member of Legislative Council MLC from the Ajit Pawarled NCP jokingly urged Deshmukh to join the ruling side and continue his work as a ministerDeshmukh responded If everyone joins the ruling party the democratic system will lose balance And that is something none of us can afford Therefore we will stay where we are and continue to play our role in the opposition If many people perceive that the ruling party is gaining strength they might shift sides but we are ready to maintain our stance and stay true to our principlesState Minister Babasaheb Patil speaking at the event assured that efforts would be made to sustain the pace of development in Latur while also preserving and promoting the districts cultural educational and sports legacy setting aside political affiliationsThe state cooperation minister added that the legacy of former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and other prominent leaders had guided Laturs progressWith PTI inputs