Maharastra civic elections: Thane Shinde’s turf, so BJP softened stand & settled for fewer seats, says CM Fadnavis

THANE: BJP softened its stand and settled for fewer seats in Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli only for sentimental reasons as the region is a stronghold of deputy CM Eknath Shinde, CM Devendra Fadnavis said. “Thane was always BJP’s bastion and we gained immense power in the region over the years. We could easily fight solo or bargain for more seats, but we convinced our workers and took a back seat, considering Thane is Shinde’s dominion and identity. Our state president, Ravindra Chavan, and I didn’t want our relations with Shinde to be affected for the sake of a few seats. If we had disturbed him in his dominion, our stand as allies would be defeated,” he said.