Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has stated that if Uddhav Thackeray had not aligned closely with Congress, the Shiv Sena would not have split. Shinde also claimed that Uddhav's lack of communication and time for him contributed to the party's division. Additionally, Shinde revealed that Sharad Pawar was willing to support his appointment as Chief Minister.

In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Shinde discussed the reasons behind the party split, the alliance with BJP, and his relationship with Uddhav Thackeray.

When asked about the cause of the rift between him and Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde said their differences were ideological. "We are Shiv Sainiks committed to Balasaheb's ideology. Under Uddhav's leadership, the Shiv Sena was weakening," Shinde stated.

Shinde also spoke about the distress among party workers and businessmen during Uddhav's tenure. "Party members were being jailed, projects were halted, and businessmen were distressed. We were concerned about how to contest the next election in such conditions," he said, adding that Uddhav lacked leadership qualities, prompting them to part ways.

Shinde emphasized that the BJP and Shiv Sena had campaigned together, and people voted for them in the name of Balasaheb Thackeray and Narendra Modi. However, the government was formed with Congress and Sharad Pawar. "Uddhav knew he couldn't become Chief Minister while remaining with the BJP, so he chose to ally with Congress instead," said Shinde.

Shinde revealed that Devendra Fadnavis tried multiple times to communicate with Uddhav, but received no response. On the day of the election results, Uddhav decided to become Chief Minister, even if it meant joining forces with Congress.

When asked about Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut's claims that he orchestrated the Shiv Sena split while Uddhav was in the hospital, Shinde responded that on the day they parted ways, Uddhav was at the Vidhan Bhavan managing election affairs. He dismissed their claims as an attempt to garner sympathy. He also revealed that they had repeatedly informed Uddhav that the current government was unsustainable and advocated for forming a government in alliance with the BJP.