Chief minister Eknath Shinde’s stature has grown in the two years since he shook Maharashtra’s political turf by splitting the Shiv Sena and forming the government with BJP help. The BJP may find it difficult to dislodge him even if it emerges as the largest partner in the Mahayuti this election.

In this post-midnight interview given to The Telegraph on Sunday, Shinde seeks to distance himself from the BJP’s polarising “Batenge toh katenge (Divided, we’ll be slaughtered)” slogan, stressing that “development and welfare” are his only agendas.

Q. What are the main issues for you this election?

Shinde: Development is our top agenda. Projects stalled during the two-and-a-half years of MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) rule have been started. They had stayed everything: the Metro, key road projects, bridges — stay, stay, stay — the MVA government was working with an anti-development vision. Had our government not started all the key projects, Maharashtra would have gone backwards by 10 years.

In the next step, we started welfare schemes like Ladki Bahin (a monthly dole of ₹1,500 to poor women with the promise to increase it to ₹2,100).

Development, however, remains our top focus: infrastructure, air connectivity, road connectivity, rail connectivity and water connectivity. We have completed the Mumbai-Nagpur road project. It has cut down travel time from 18 to 6-7 hours.

Q. Development was your campaign plank for the Lok Sabha polls, too, but your alliance won only 17 of the 48 seats.

Shinde: A fake narrative — that the Constitution would be changed and reservations scrapped if the NDA gets more than 400 seats — was run by the Opposition. They scared the tribal communities, Dalits, Muslims, Christians — it was a fake-narrative election.

Q. Is that narrative missing from this election?

Shinde: How can that narrative be sustained now? Does the state have the right to change the Constitution and take away reservations? No…. This is a localised state election. On development and schemes.

Q. You are saying that development is the only agenda but UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath comes here and says “Batenge toh katenge”. What is your position on this?

Shinde: Look, our agenda is only development…. But what is he (Adityanath) saying? He is saying, ‘Ek hoke vote karo (vote unitedly)’. The government and the Election Commission too want an increased voting percentage. So, what’s wrong with it?

Q. Do you think that such (polarising) slogans don’t work in Maharashtra and that the parties should focus only on the development of all?

Shinde: Look, Modiji’s slogan is “Sabka sath, sabka vikas” (and a) Vikshit Bharat by 2047. Maharashtra is a big state and so plays a big role in this vision.

Q. The Maratha reservation issue has rocked the state. What is the solution?

Shinde: We have given a solution. We promised to grant reservation to the Marathas without taking away the share of the OBCs. We formed a committee. Based on its report, Marathas were separately given 10 per cent reservation. People from the MVA side have challenged it in court but it hasn’t been stayed yet.

Q. But it’s not acceptable to Maratha quota activist Jarange Patil. He wants quotas for Marathas under the OBC category.

Shinde: Jarange Patil’s area is only Marathwada but Marathas in other areas are availing the benefit of the 10 per cent reservation.

Q. Do you think Jarange Patil is being used as a political tool?

Shinde: I will not say anything on this. Jarange has been agitating for the good of the Maratha community.

Q. The partners in your Mahayuti alliance are contesting a varying number of seats. The BJP has the highest share, followed by your party and the NCP. Who will get the chief minister’s post (if the alliance wins)?

Shinde: We will sit after the results and decide. There will be no dispute.

Q. But you are the face of the alliance now and have been doing good work, so why shouldn’t you continue as CM if the Mahayuti returns to power?

Shinde: My priority now is to ensure that the Mahayuti returns to power. The issue of the CM will be decided after the results.

Q. Has some formula been agreed to decide which partner gets the CM’s post? Will it be based on numbers or be given to the most popular face?

Shinde: I am giving my best but I don’t know whether I’m popular. It’s for the people to decide.

Q. Can the two Senas unite in future?

Shinde: Why did we come out (of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena)? Because Uddhavji betrayed the ideology of our founder, Balasaheb Thackeray. People wanted us to form the government with the BJP, with whom we had fought the polls in alliance. But Uddhavji went ahead and formed the government with the Congress and the NCP. Balasaheb (would have) never wanted such an alliance; so we had to come out.

Q. But don’t you think these splits will ultimately weaken the Shiv Sena? After all, Yogi Adityanath has said that “Batenge toh katenge”...

Shinde: We have not caused any splits. We arethe original Shiv Sainiks of Balasaheb Thackeray.The bow-and-arrow symbol is with us. The majority is with us. It was proved in the Lok Sabha polls. We (Uddhav’s and Shinde’s Senas) fought (each other) in 13 seats and we won seven.

The Sena’s original vote base is with us; Uddhavji is surviving on the strength of the Congress’s voters. Uddhavji has become a parjeevi (parasite).

Q. How many seats (out of the total 288) do you predict for the Mahayuti?

Shinde: 170.