Lawmakers from CM Shinde's Shiv Sena won't win the next election, Sanjay Raut claims

Digital Desk: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced on Wednesday that Shiv Sena parliamentarians led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are unlikely to prevail in the next election.

Addressing the reporters here, Raut also alleged that CM Shinde was interested in an overseas visit, despite agricultural losses in areas of the state due to irregular weather.

When asked if Shinde's party would issue a whip against four Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs for failing to attend a debate on the women reservation bill in Parliament, Raut stated, "It is a trivial matter for us that they would issue a whip against four of our Lok Sabha members. They (Shinde group lawmakers) should first understand that none of them will win the next election," the Rajya Sabha member stated.

Shinde's defection in June last year split the Shiv Sena and brought the state's Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government to a halt.

Raut alleged Shinde planned to travel abroad nations to solicit investment and that the CM changed his plans only after Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray made a critical post on X.

When asked about rumours of a Shinde-led group citing water scarcity and other concerns in the state as reasons for postponing his foreign travel, Raut said, "Did he only learn about all those challenges after Aaditya tweeted? We should be grateful to CM Shinde for his sensitivity. Why didn't he (CM Shinde) go to Nagpur, which was submerged because of illegal constructions and encroachments? Farmers are likely to lose crops because of the irregular rainfall, but Shinde appears to be eager to continue his foreign tour," the Sena (UBT) leader alleged.

Shinde's tour to the United Kingdom and Germany, which was set from October 1 to 8, has been postponed, according to a CMO official on Tuesday, who added that new dates are being worked out.