\'Eknath Shinde govt will collapse in coming months; Maha will face mid-term polls\'

BALAPUR (MAHA): Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday said the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra will collapse in coming months and asked party workers to gear up for mid-term elections.

Addressing a rally here in Akola district, the former minister attacked the Shinde-led dispensation over four major projects picking other states over Maharashtra and claimed the state has lost potential employment for 2.5 lakh people.

Notably, Aaditya's father and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had last week spoken about the possibility of mid-term elections in the state.

“This government of traitors will surely collapse in coming months. Midterm polls are around the corner,” Aaditya said, asking workers to gear up to face early elections.

Hitting back at state Agriculture minister Abdul Sattar for calling him “chota pappu”, Aaditya said, “I may be chota pappu, but if the name calling helps in serving (the interest of) Maharashtra, then you can keep doing it. This chota pappu is making you run in Maharashtra. I will make you run because Maharashtra has not accepted this treachery (the revolt in Shiv Sena that led to the collapse of the Udhav Thackeray government)”.

Taking a dig at Shinde, Aaditya said one cannot identify who is the chief minister between Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He said ever since an “unconstitutional government” was formed in Maharashtra, there is no one to listen to the issues of farmers and youths as he sought to draw a parallel between the tenure of Uddhav Thackeray and the incumbent government.

He demanded the government declare a wet drought in the state to address the losses faced by farmers due to unseasonal rains.

Slamming Industries Minister Uday Samant, a Shinde loyalist, Aaditya said industries are choosing other states for investment over Maharashtra.

“He has done the worst work for Maharashtra,” Aaditya said referring to Samant.