A Maharashtra Shiv Sena Minister claimed that Eknath Shinde, the leader of the 40 MLAs and other independents who revolted against the then ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2022 may have taken his life had the coup failed. School Education Minister Deepak V. Kesarkar stated that he and Shinde were close, exchanging notes regularly, and that the latter had confided in him about his intention to send us all back (to the party), call up Thackeray and say ‘sorry’, absolve us (the 40 MLAs) of any blame and take the full responsibility for it, and then shoot himself in the head if the rebellion had failed. Shinde had also assured Kesarkar of the rebels’ political futures, stating his willingness to lose his own life to care for their prospects.
The rebellion ultimately succeeded, with Shinde becoming the Chief Minister, and despite the Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena (UBT) allies labelling the walkout that marked the first anniversary of the uprising as Traitors Day, Kesarkar hailed Shinde as a true Shiv Sainik and defended his character. Kesarkar revealed instances where Shinde was insulted and mistreated by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, emphasizing that whenever promises made to Shinde were broken by Thackeray, he would reach out and update him.
This unprecedented bloodless political coup altered the political landscape of Maharashtra after June 20, 2022, with the state Minister highlighting fascinating anecdotes of the revolution that resulted in Shinde’s appointment. Kesarkar asked the question, Are you calling him a ‘gaddar’? and emphasized that Shinde was more than deserving of their support.
