BJP-Sena rift deepens in Navi Mumbai as Ganesh Naik targets Shinde
NAVI MUMBAI: With the civic elections approaching, cracks within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena in the ruling Mahayuti alliance are widening in Navi Mumbai. Veteran BJP leader and cabinet minister Ganesh Naik has launched a veiled yet scathing attack on deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, escalating tensions between the two political heavyweights.
In a series of public addresses over the past week, Naik alleged that “outsiders” were exploiting Navi Mumbai’s resources, ranging from essential supplies like water and medicines to valuable public land. Although he stopped short of naming Shinde, his comments were widely interpreted as a challenge to the Sena leader and the state government.
“Navi Mumbai’s enemies are not from within but from outside. They’ve stolen our gas, water and medicines. Reserved public plots have been diverted to private developers for personal gain. This must stop. I am committed to reversing the damage done to the city,” Naik told audiences at two different events.
The remarks have provoked a strong backlash from the Sena, which has accused Naik of playing blame games to deflect attention away from his own long-standing hold over the city’s affairs. On Wednesday, a Sena delegation submitted a memorandum to Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde, demanding details on the alleged thefts and seeking clarification on whether any official complaints had been filed.
“Ganesh Naik has held sway over Navi Mumbai for decades. Now he wants to shift blame for the mess created on his own watch. This won’t be tolerated,” said Sena leader Ramakant Mhatre. “We have given the commissioner a week to clarify, or else we shall gherao his cabin next Wednesday.”
Naik’s relationship with Shinde has deteriorated since the latter assumed the state’s urban development portfolio and subsequently became chief minister in the first Mahayuti government. With administrative control over the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and CIDCO, Shinde’s influence now overlaps with Naik’s traditional turf—creating growing friction between the two factions.
Naik has also intensified his attacks on alleged corruption within NMMC and CIDCO. “There are highly corrupt officers working in these bodies, making decisions that are harming Navi Mumbai residents. Our land is being misused for personal gains,” he alleged.
Water scarcity has become another flashpoint. While Sena leaders recently highlighted the issue at a public gathering, Naik hit back, accusing them of being complicit. He claimed the city would soon receive 500 million litres per day (MLD) from the Poshir project and blamed the shortage on theft.
“We are ready to pay for the Poshir project. The crisis is man-made. Those crying foul are the ones who caused it. They are misleading people,” Naik claimed.
Further fuelling the dispute is the controversial merger of 14 villages from the Thane-Kalyan region with Navi Mumbai—a move approved during Shinde’s tenure as chief minister. Naik has opposed the plan, arguing that it places an unfair burden on the city’s taxpayers and lacks geographic or administrative logic.
“These villages have no link to Navi Mumbai. Bringing them in will cost over ₹6,000 crore. Why should our residents pay the price? We will hit the streets if necessary,” he warned. Naik has urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to reverse the merger and raised the issue in recent meetings.
Amid rising hostilities, prospects of a joint BJP-Sena campaign in Navi Mumbai appear slim. Sena MP Naresh Mhaske said, “If Naik is making these allegations against us, he should provide proof. We too can make lots of allegations with respect to Navi Mumbai, but we haven’t done that yet. Some politicians have turned NMMC into their personal estate. In the upcoming elections, we will liberate it. Our saffron flag will fly over the head office, and the corporation will serve the people once again.”
Source – HT
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