"Hunter has been hunted": MLA Rohit Pawar takes a sharp dig at Eknath Shinde over Nashik poll results

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 : NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday launched a scathing attack against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, following the defeat of the Mahayuti alliance's candidate in the recent Nashik MLC elections.
Pawar said that the political tide has shifted, stating, "Till yesterday, Eknath Shinde was likening 'Operation Tiger', but when you look at the Nashik results, the hunter 'Tiger' got hunted."
Speaking to ANI, Pawar said that a massive agitation would be held on June 29 and accused the state government of failing to inspire confidence among farmers.
"We will continue the road blockade until the government makes a decision. We cannot trust this government," Pawar said.
The NCP-SP leader also took a swipe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde while referring to the political slogan "Operation Tiger" and the recent political developments in Nashik.
"Till yesterday, Eknath Shinde was supporting 'Operation Tiger', but looking at the Nashik results, it appears that the hunter himself has been hunted," Pawar remarked.
The remarks come amid an ongoing political debate in Maharashtra over issues concerning farmers, including demands for a farm loan waiver and the state's political developments.
Earlier, the ruling Mahayuti alliance registered a commanding victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, winning 16 of the 17 seats for which results were declared on Monday.
Polling for 17 seats was held on June 18. However, six Mahayuti candidates had already been elected unopposed before voting, giving the alliance an early advantage. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the biggest gainer, winning 11 seats, while Shiv Sena (Shinde) secured three seats and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) won two.
The only seat that did not go to an official Mahayuti candidate was Nashik, where an Independent candidate and BJP rebel Gokul Gite defeated Shiv Sena nominee Narendra Darade. Gite's victory is being seen as a significant setback for the Shiv Sena in the constituency.
Among the candidates elected unopposed were Ravindra Phatak (Thane) and Dushyant Chaturvedi (Yavatmal) from Shiv Sena, Aniket Tatkare (Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg) and Vikram Kakade (Pune) from NCP, and Arun Lakhani (Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli) and Prajakt Tanpure (Ahilyanagar) from BJP.
The BJP's victorious candidates included Suhas Shirshat (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna), Avinash Brahmankar (Bhandara-Gondia), Dhairyashil Kadam (Sangli-Satara), Rajendra Raut (Solapur), Basavaraj Patil (Dharashiv-Latur-Beed), Rajiv Potdar (Nagpur), Nandkishor Mahajan (Jalgaon), Pravin Pote (Amravati) and Amar Rajurkar (Nanded). Shiv Sena's Saiyed Khan won from the Parbhani-Hingoli constituency.
The results further strengthen Mahayuti's position in Maharashtra's local self-government institutions and are being viewed as a major political boost for the ruling alliance ahead of upcoming electoral battles in the state.
In the Maharashtra MLC elections, Ambadas Danve, LoP in Maharashtra Legislative Council and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, said, " We fought well. We are fighting to protect the Constitution."
Meanwhile, amid speculation over the possible induction of several Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar on Monday said such a development would strengthen both the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra and the NDA government at the Centre.
Speaking to ANI, Kesarkar said the alliance was committed to strengthening the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"This will strengthen the Mahayuti. The NDA government at the Centre will become stronger. We all want the Central government to become stronger under the leadership of PM Modi. The country's progress will be further strengthened with the support of these people," Kesarkar said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the BJP amid rumours that six rebel Shiv Sena UBT MPs would join the Eknath Shinde-led faction, accusing it of "breaking" UBT Sena's MPs and MLAs to gain enough votes in parliament to change the Constitution.
"Today they are breaking our MPs and MLAs as they are willing to change the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Voters prevented them in 2024, and they got only 240 MPs, but now they are trying that again by breaking parties; their main aim is to change the constitution," Thackeray said while addressing a press conference here.
His comments come as the party faces intense political turmoil due to what is being dubbed as "Operation Tiger," an alleged move to engineer a defection of several Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
Thackeray condemned the shifting loyalties of the party's lawmakers, who he said were elected due to the collective efforts of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)."All these people were elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) with the help of MVA allies, and now they are switching to the other side against the people's mandate," he said.
The controversy has intensified after a parliamentary party meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday was attended by only three of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs. While Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, six MPs, including Sanjay Dina Patil, remained absent.