Sanjay Raut says ‘lots happening behind the scenes’ as Eknath Shinde keeps his corporators close

While Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde keeps his 29 corporators at a five-star hotel, seemingly to prevent poaching following NDA's win in the BMC polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has raised the suspense by saying that ‘the game is on,’ according to a report by NDTV.

Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP and close aide of Uddhav Thackeray, has asserted that “a lot is happening behind the scenes” and that any majority, regardless of size, is “fickle”. He also mentioned that members of Team Thackeray are going to the five-star hotel, where Shinde's corporators are holed up, for lunch. "They shouldn't suspect us," the news portal quoted Raut.

Notably, Uddhav Thackeray had made a similar remark about the same post, saying BMC can have a Mayor from his party "if God wants".

Claiming that the corporators are confined, Sanjay Raut was quoted by ANI, "The corporators who have come from this alliance (BJP-Shiv Sena)... out of fears that someone will kidnap them, threaten them, or harm them, they have been kept captive in the Taj Hotel. Eknath Shinde has turned the Taj Hotel into a Jail. He should immediately release the twenty-nine or twenty-five people he has held captive there. The CM should order the police to break the "jail" and release the corporators."

“Has Sanjay Raut started seeing a Jyotish now? He keeps on lying regularly,” the NDTV report quoted a person aware of the development.

When asked why team Shinde's corporators are currently staying in a hotel, he responded, “There is a group of looters who have looted Mumbai for so long and will now try and loot our people too. Hence, we've kept them in the hotel.”

In the 227-member body, the majority mark is 114 seats. According to the final count, the BJP has won 89 seats, while its ally, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, secured 29. Together, the Mahayuti alliance has 118 seats, just four above the majority mark.