Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 (ANI): Days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis announced rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde the next chief minister of Maharashtra, fresh rifts have surfaced within Shiv Sena.

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 (ANI): Ahead of the commencement of the Speaker election in the Maharashtra Assembly, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Sunday called the Eknath Shinde side of Shiv Sena as "Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology" while calling the other side standing with the former chief minister as "Uddhav Thakeray faction".

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 3 (ANI): The election of the Speaker for the Maharashtra Assembly is set to take place on Sunday after the new Eknath Shinde government took over following the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rule in the state.

Mumbai Feb 20 PTI The Congress in Maharashtra on Sunday said it welcomed the efforts of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to forge an anti-BJP front but cautioned that such an initiative by regional parties cannot be successful without the Congress party which is the only alternative to the ruling BJP Rao the president of Telangana Rashtra Samitihi TRS on Sunday separately met his Maharashtra counterpart and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar who heads the Nationalist Congress Party NCP in Mumbai He held discussions on various issues facing the country with Thackeray and Pawar and called for a political change Raos efforts to form an anti-BJP front are welcome But without Congress such efforts will neither be complete nor become successful Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters Patole alleged that the Central government was dictatorial and was working to finish the Constitution and democracy He also accused the Centre of selling off the national assets Apart from targeting the Opposition the BJP is also trying to finish off its allies Now these allies have distanced themselves from the BJP Earlier West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also came to meet leaders here but nothing happened after that Patole said He said the TRS had earlier taken a stand in Parliament which was beneficial to BJP but now its views about BJP have changed We welcome this change of heart Patole said He also said that the Congress-led UPA United Progressive Alliance was the only alternative to BJP Regional parties cannot exclude Congress to give that alternative he added PTI MR NSK NSK