"PM Modi has given full strength and support to our government", says Maharashtra CM Shinde

THANE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday extended his wishes on Holi to the people of the state and attributed the accelerated pace of development in the state to the support and blessings of Prime Minister Modi over the past 1.5 years.

"I extend my greetings to all the people of Maharashtra and the nation. I extend my greetings to all the sections of the society. Our only wish is to make Maharashtra's people prosperous, happy and healthy," he said.

Further, he said that the double-engine government in Maharashtra has been able to make some big decisions.

"In these 1.5 years, we have been successful in increasing the pace of development of the state and behind this is the blessings of PM Modi. He has given full strength and support to our government. You all saw how many big projects have been started in these 1.5 years, how many big decisions have been taken by the government," he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's senior Congress leader and Umred MLA Raju Parwe on Sunday joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

Parwe resigned from Congress earlier in the day and later joined Shiv Sena at 'Varsha', the official residence of CM Shinde.

Parve won the Umred seat in Nagpur district on a Congress ticket in the 2019 assembly elections.

Maharashtra will vote in five phases for 48 constituencies in the general elections. Maharashtra ranks second in contributing to the Lower House of the Parliament, following Uttar Pradesh with 80 seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.

The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in 2022, the Shiv Sena, which had earlier formed a coalition government with the Congress and NCP, saw Eknath Shinde align with the BJP.