Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said he had to honour "yuti dharma"; the Shiv Sena is a partner of the BJP, which won the just concluded Delhi assembly elections 2025, in the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Pic/X
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde has claimed that 15 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) approached him for his party symbol to contest the Delhi assembly elections 2025, but he declined due to "yuti dharma," reported news agency PTI.
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The Shiv Sena is a partner of the BJP, which won the just concluded Delhi assembly elections 2025, in the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.
"A total of 15 AAP candidates had reached out to me. I thought that if the 'bow and arrow' symbol went to them, votes would be split between the BJP and Sena and others would benefit. So I declined," Eknath Shinde said at an event in Thane city on Sunday, reported PTI.
The Sena chief said he had to honour "yuti dharma" (coalition commitment).
"I asked my MPs to campaign for the BJP candidates in the Delhi assembly elections," said Shinde, who turned 61 on Sunday, reported PTI.
The BJP swept aside the AAP in Delhi, winning 48 of the 70 assembly seats. The AAP secured only 22 seats, with top leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia suffering defeats.
Eknath Shinde said several people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, wished him on his birthday.
"They greeted me as Eknath Shinde and not as Maharashtra's deputy CM," he said.
Earlier, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday credited the BJP's performance in the Delhi assembly elections 2025 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees and said "falsehood" has been defeated.
In a post on X, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said after Maharashtra, voters in Delhi have also reposed their faith in the BJP's leadership.
Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the former Maharashtra CM said impediments in Delhi's development have been cleared.
He said voters also taught the Arvind Kejriwal-led party a lesson that made false claims that the Constitution was in danger.
"This is the magic of PM Modi's guarantees," Eknath Shinde said, adding, "Falsehood has been defeated and the voters have stood by the truth."
The deputy CM said the voters have also given their verdict on the Union Budget presented last week by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
(With inputs from PTI)
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