A day after an advertisement with photos of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi became a talking point, an ad on the state’s ruling alliance appeared in Marathi dailies on Wednesday featuring leaders like Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Full-page advertisements had been carried across major newspapers in the state on Tuesday, citing a survey that showed CM Shinde ahead of his deputy Fadnavis in popularity. It did not have the pictures of either Fadnavis or Bal Thackeray.
The publicity material titled ‘Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra’ on Tuesday prompted the Opposition to claim that all was not well between the ruling BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Like Tuesday’s advertisement, the ad in Marathi newspapers also cites a survey to claim that 49.3 per cent of voters in Maharashtra support the BJP and Shiv Sena.
It says 84 per cent of voters feel PM Modi’s leadership has given a vision of development to the country and 62 per cent feel the “double engine” governments are expediting development in the state. As per the ad, the survey found that 26.8 per cent of voters back the main Opposition, while other parties have the support of 23.9 per cent of voters.
Apart from Shinde’s mentor Anand Dighe, Fadnavis and Bal Thackeray, the new ad also carries pictures of many Shiv Sena ministers.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the fresh advertisement was the result of an earful from Fadnavis. He said, “It has become clear what is in their mind. But everything is not good. The government will collapse like a house of cards. There is a proxy war between Shinde and BJP.” NCP’s national working president and MP Supriya Sule wondered who conducted the survey and what the sample size was.
“I am in search of that well-wisher who gave advertisements worth crores of rupees in newspapers. I think today’s design came from Delhi and that possibility cannot be ruled out,” she told reporters in Pune.
