Fadnavis said the BJP and CM Shinde had a consensus on supporting MNS candidate Amit Thackeray, who is making his electoral debut, in the Mahim assembly constituency.”However, leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena argued that if the party does not contest the election, its dedicated voters would shift to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). The BJP was ready to support Amit and is still firm on its stand,” he said.Asked about the solution to this conundrum, Fadnavis said, “When we (leaders of Mahayuti) meet, we will discuss and try to find a solution.” Mahim has witnessed the birth of the undivided Shiv Sena (1966) and then the MNS, which came into existence in 2006 when Raj Thackeray charted his own independent political course.Fadnavis also maintained that every major political party in the state has been facing the challenge of rebels in the assembly elections.The BJP would try to convince most of its rebels to withdraw their nominations, Fadnavis said.There will be friendly fights in some seats, he added.Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday alleged he was “backstabbed” by his close colleague and then home minister R R Patil who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.
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