Mumbai, July 3: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday reiterated his claim that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar who was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra a day ago would soon replace Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Raut also said that 16 MLAs who were part of the split in Shiv Sena almost a year ago are going to be "disqualified". Maharashtra Politics: NCP Files Disqualification Petition Against 9 MLAs Including Ajit Pawar After They Join Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government.

"Today I am saying this in front of the camera, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is going to change. Eknath Shinde is being removed. Eknath Shinde and the 16 MLAs are going to be disqualified," Raut said while talking to ANI. Raut's remark came after NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday. Raut further said that Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress will fight "unitedly" in Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar Would Replace Eknath Shinde as Maharashtra CM: Saamana

"BJP is breaking Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress but this will not benefit them at all. In Maharashtra, we will fight unitedly. It is shocking that PM Modi had said that the leaders of NCP are involved in corruption and now those leaders have taken oath in Raj Bhawan," Raut said.

In June 2022, a group of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray - saying that the latter's decision to align with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party went against the party's Hindutva ideology.

Shinde, then cabinet minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led the revolt which vertically split the Shiv Sena. The downfall of MVA paved the formation of BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena. On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as CM and Fadnavis, his deputy.

On Sunday too after the oath-taking ceremony of Ajit Pawar, who became the second Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with the present deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis after joining the NDA government, Raut had said that in just a few days, Maharashtra will get another Chief Minister. Maharashtra Politics: Ajit Pawar Joined Hands With BJP to Replace CM Eknath Shinde, Claims Saamana.

"We already knew that this process was going on. About this, I had said earlier also that it can happen. The sword of disqualification that was hanging over Eknath Shinde is about to fall soon. The 16 MLAs who went with him will be disqualified. In just a few days, Maharashtra will get another Chief Minister," Raut had said.

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