As the BJP flexes its muscle in his Thane backyard, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is gearing up to hit back at his alliance partner with a ‘Nirdhar Melava’ in Navi Mumbai. Since the formation of the BJP-led Mahayuti government, senior BJP leader and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has held two Janta Darbars (public grievance meetings) in Shinde’s stronghold. These events are designed to bring the administration closer to citizens, saving them the trouble of travelling to distant state offices.

Naik, who is the guardian minister for Palghar district, typically would hold such meetings in his designated district, constituency, or party office. However, breaking from convention, he chose to hold them in areas like Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli, Badlapur, and Ambernath—Shinde’s bastion. The move is widely viewed in political circles as the BJP’s attempt to expand its footprint in the district.