Losing the chief minister’s post to Devendra Fadnavis after the Assembly election in November 2024 was a bitter pill to swallow for Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, who had served as chief minister with Fadnavis as his deputy for over two years. Since then, simmering unease between the two leaders has periodically surfaced, exposing fissures in the ruling Mahayuti alliance – the latest being Fadnavis’s purported intervention in stalling four proposals poised to be cleared by the Sena-led Improvement Committee in the BMC.Power play: The escalating friction between BJP and Shiv Sena behind closed doors. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)Political observers say the rift that began between the leaders during government formation, shows little signs of dissipating.Soon after assuming office, Fadnavis stalled several projects approved during Shinde’s tenure as CM – the Thane-Borivali tunnel project, procurement of electric buses for the state transport corporation (ST), and contracts related to the 108 ambulance service, among others.“The friction intensified during local body elections held late last year, when both poached leaders from each other’s parties ahead of the polls. Apart from alliance breakdowns, it also triggered violent confrontations in Kalyan-Dombivli, Raigad and Kankavli,” said a Shiv Sena leader requesting anonymity.The rivalry has surfaced publicly on several occasions. On May 15, BJP corporators staged protests in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), alleging procedural impropriety after 231 proposals were approved in just five minutes during a general body meeting.While BJP leaders believe that Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s announcement of a hunger strike from Saturday has Shinde’s tacit support, Sena leaders say politically sensitive documents related to Sena leaders are being selectively leaked to social activist Anjali Damania and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab by individuals linked to the BJP, adding another layer of mistrust between the two alliance partners.CM’s intervention in Sena-led body in BMCShiv Sena had egg on its face on Wednesday when the party-led Improvement Committee in BMC was compelled to revert four key proposals to the civic administration for scrutiny, reportedly following chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s intervention.The proposals -- privatisation of SevenHills Hospital, commercialisation of blood banks in five civic hospitals, building an exhibition centre at Bandra Reclamation and a plan to alter land-use norms for a green zone at Malabar Hill -- triggered criticism from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), which alleged that they were against the city’s interests and involved grave financial implications and irregularities.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged that proposals involving blood banks and changes in land use norms for open spaces were intended to benefit private players. BJP and Sena insiders said, the matter was brought to the CM’s notice, prompting him to reportedly ask BJP leaders in the BMC to ensure that the proposals are reconsidered. While Fadnavis denied any intervention, leaders of both parties said he had examined the proposals after concerns over alleged anomalies were raised.“This has widened the rift between the two leaders – Fadnavis and Sena chief Eknath Shinde. Sena faced two-fold embarrassment: not only were the proposals stalled, but it was done after red flags were raised by its arch-rival, Sena (UBT),” said a Shiv Sena leader.Seat-sharing tussle for council electionsThe BJP and Shiv Sena have been engaged in a hard bargain over sharing 17 Legislative Council seats from urban and local bodies.Though BJP is believed to be in a position to win 16 of the 17 seats — barring Pune — on its own strength, Shiv Sena has reportedly pushed for six seats. BJP’s state leadership is said to have initially offered three seats to Shiv Sena and two to NCP.Known to be a tough negotiator, Shinde reportedly left no stone unturned to secure additional seats – he made an unscheduled late-night trip to Delhi on Sunday and met Union home minister Amit Shah to press his party’s case.“The Delhi trip appears to have worked in Sena’s favour, as BJP may concede five seats. This has been Shinde’s pattern, first revealed during the 2024 Lok Sabha, followed by Assembly and civic polls – BJP conceded more seats than many Sena leaders themselves had anticipated,” said a Sena leader.Meanwhile, a displeased Fadnavis delayed finalising seat-sharing until his own meeting with Shah in Delhi on Wednesday. After the meeting, he howver denied any infighting among the alliance partners, saying, “The decision will be taken at an appropriate time. We are in the midst of discussing Aurangabad and Nashik seats with Sena.” Shinde maintained that Mahayuti would jointly win all 17 seats.Unease after Kharat arrestSelf-styled godman Ashok Kharat’s arrest immediately brought the focus on Shiv Sena, as his pictures with several party leaders including Eknath Shinde, former education minister Deepak Kesarkar and social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat, surfaced. The matter worsened when social activist Anjali Damania released alleged call detail records (CDRs) between Shinde and Kharat before the latter’s arrest.Shinde was irked by the leak suspecting involvement of insiders. “CDRs are highly sensitive material in police investigations and are not easily accessible without political or administrative intervention. Shinde was upset because it was perceived as a deliberate attempt to defame him,” said an office bearer close to the deputy chief minister.Party leaders also pointed out that despite announcements of an inquiry into the alleged leak, no action had been initiated yet. Soon after the controversy erupted, Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant alleged that the leak was linked to infighting between BJP and Shiv Sena leaders, adding grist to rumours of discontent between the alliance partners.Transfers, control of state adminThe recent transfers in IAS and IPS cadres exposed the differences between Fadnavis and Shinde. Fadnavis holds the home portfolio while Shinde controls urban development and housing departments.Leaders of both parties said the disagreement over the recent transfers were so intense that several transfer orders had to be revised or revoked. “The postings of senior IPS officers, particularly in Thane and MMR, were changed within days, as Fadnavis wanted efficient officers while Shinde leaned towards those he had worked with earlier in Thane, or those perceived to be close to him,” said a BJP leader, adding that differences between the two leaders have delayed long-pending appointments and transfers in departments controlled by Shinde, and statutory bodies such as MHADA.“The housing department remains headless for a year, as there has been no consensus on Valsa Nair’s successor. Appointments to replace the incumbent heads of MHADA and MSRDC have also been delayed for similar reasons,” the leader said.Shinde camp is believed to be unhappy over the supposed intervention of the CMO in the industries department headed by Uday Samant. Insiders said industrial investments are closely monitored by the CMO; and Samant’s absence from a key review meeting chaired by Fadnavis earlier this week did not go unnoticed.Another tussle between revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Shinde over the transfer of revenue officer Vandana Suryawanshi has generated buzz in Mantralaya. Suryawanshi’s transfer from MHADA to Jalna, ordered by Bawankule, was reportedly revoked at Shinde’s insistence, leading to an inquiry into a decade-old case involving the officer.Eye on 193-acre Thane land parcelA skirmish ensued on Thursday between the Thane unit of BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar and the Shinde camp, with the former questioning TMC’s decision to enter into a private settlement with D Dahyabhai and Co Pvt Ltd on issuing a TDR amounting to ₹2800 crore. TMC is ruled by the Shiv Shiv Sena.On May 26 the Supreme Court disposed a petition filed by TMC against the company over its possession of 193 acres of land spread over Thane’s Chitalsar Pada-Manpada area, a day after TMC submitted to the apex court that it had entered into a private settlement with the company.While the land is privately owned, the state government had earlier claimed that it belongs to the forest department; and as TMC had reserved 100 acres of the land for a garden, the company demanded TDR against it.Now, as TMC can issue TDR to the company, BJP’s Thane unit has called it a ploy to benefit the company. “The matter is about 193 acres of land. A high-level probe is necessary in this matter as many big players are involved in it,” said Kelkar on Thursday.