New Delhi: ‘Uddhav Thackeray’s treacherous behaviour has brought us shame', Union Minister Piyush Goyal told Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Nation Wants to Know. When questioned about the repercussions of the split with the Shiv Sena on voting patterns in his (Piyush Goyal) constituency and across Mumbai, Goyal said that a small faction of father-son duo. “One or 2 cronies around father and son duo are running a splinter group of the Shiv Sena but the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai will give them a befitting response in this election”, the Union Minister told Arnab. 

"Uddhav Thackeray has truly made all of us ashamed by his treacherous behaviour and the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai will elect the Sena-led by Eknath Shinde, the BJP. The people of Maharashtra and Mumbai will show Uddhav Thackeray that personal ambition won't be tolerated, Goyal predicted. 

Upping the ante against Thackeray, Goyal asserted that for a petty personal game and his ambition to become the Chief Minister, he (Uddhav Thackeray) sacrificed every principle of Hindu Hriday Samrat Bala Saheb Thackeray. "Uddhav Thackeray and his party - the then Shiv Sena fought the 2019 elections in both Lok Sabha and Assembly under the leadership of PM Modi and declaring Devendra Fadnavis as the CM of alliance, both the elections were won but for petty personal game and his ambition to become the Chief Minister, Mr Uddhav Thackeray sacrificed every principle of Hindu Hriday Samrat Bala Saheb Thackeray on which he formed the Sena. 

Moreover, Goyal accused Uddhav of indulging in politics of appeasement. “He sacrificed Hindutva, he gave up on Lord Ram, he went and sat in the lap of Rahul Gandhi and got into the politics of appeasement. He demonstrated a high level of corruption in the 2 and a half years that he led the state as chief minister, a period during which he never went to the CM's office. All development works in Maharashtra had to come to a standstill and therefore almost all the Shiv Sena MLAs, MPs and their workers and leaders decided that they can not work under a leader like Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena in a way almost threw him out so the Sena remains intact under the leadership of Eknath Shinde”, the Union Minister claimed. 

He also showered praise on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said ‘he is upholding the eery principle on which the Shiv Sena was formed by Bala Saheb Thackeray’. “Eknath Shinde has reinstated Hindutva in Sena, brought respect to the Sena and the natural alliance of the Sena and the BJP is back on track", Goyal added.

Piyush Goyal Speaks To Arnab | WATCH FULL VIDEO

Lok Sabha Elections in Mumbai, Maharashtra

On Monday, May 20, all Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai, comprising six seats across the city and suburban areas, will witness polling. These seats include Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, and Mumbai South, with approximately 120 candidates vying for victory.

The distribution of candidates is as follows: 19 in Mumbai North, 21 in Mumbai North-West, 20 in Mumbai North-East, 27 in Mumbai North-Central, 15 in Mumbai South-Central, and 14 in Mumbai South. The key contenders among political parties include the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Congress. Additionally, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is contesting one of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai. The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls will also encompass elections for Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, and Palghar seats. The results of the Lok Sabha Elections are scheduled to be announced on June 4.