Maharashtra CM may be admitted to hospital and later replaced on health grounds, claims oppn leader Wadettiwar

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Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday claimed preparations are on to replace Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on "health grounds" after admitting him to a hospital.

He also claimed Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar met in Pune recently amid speculation about Shinde's likely replacement and in view of "talks among MLAs loyal to Ajit that he could be made the chief minister".

The buzz about the "health" of Shinde, who was at his native village in Satara, grew louder after his supporter and MLA Sanjay Shirsat recently claimed the CM has fallen sick as he works for 24 hours, PTI reported.

"Information is coming out about ongoing preparations to admit Eknath Shinde in a hospital and replace him with a new chief minister," Wadettiwar told a press conference in Gadchiroli city.

The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly also claimed the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has stated that Shinde is not keeping well.

"I fear that he (Shinde) may be admitted to a hospital for two months and may be replaced on medical grounds. People of Maharashtra are asking whether preparations are on to admit Shinde in a hospital on medical grounds," the senior Congress leader said.

Notably, Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana also referred to MLA Shirsat's claim about Shinde's "sickness".

"Shinde works for 24 hours, but it does not reflect anywhere in the state. If he has lost his sleep from the fear of losing his post anytime, it cannot be termed that he is working round-the-clock," the Saamana said in its editorial on Monday.

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"If Shirsat's claims are true, Shinde should be admitted to an ICU and kept away from meeting (Deputy CMs) Devendra Fadnavis or Ajit Pawar. Shinde should be admitted to a good hospital in Mumbai or Thane," the editorial said sarcastically.

Interestingly, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan last month claimed that Ajit Pawar, who is part of the Shiv Sena-BJP government, will be appointed as the chief minister around August 10.

This claim was dismissed by senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Fadnavis had said Ajit Pawar was well aware of the fact that he won't become the chief minister and the same was conveyed to him during the meetings held before July 2, when he joined the state government with eight MLAs of NCP. (PTI)