Tensions within Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti coalition have escalated as Shiv Sena ministers boycotted a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, prompting intervention from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to defuse the crisis. The boycott was a clear signal of the Shiv Sena's disapproval of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) alleged poaching of Shiv Sena workers and leaders, particularly in the Kalyan-Dombivli region, ahead of upcoming local elections.

Except for Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena, all other Shiv Sena ministers were absent from the weekly cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat. The absence of Uday Samant, Pratap Sarnaik, Dada Bhuse, Sanjay Shirsat, Prakash Abitkar, Bharat Gogawale, Shambhuraj Desai, and Gulabrao Patil underscored the depth of the Sena's displeasure. Sources indicate that the recent defections from the Shiv Sena to the BJP in Kalyan-Dombivli served as the immediate trigger for the boycott.

Following the cabinet session, the Shiv Sena ministers met with Chief Minister Fadnavis to voice their concerns over the BJP's actions in Dombivli. Fadnavis, however, reminded them that the Shiv Sena had previously admitted BJP members into its ranks in Ulhasnagar. He reportedly told the Sena leaders that they could not object to the BJP's actions if their party was also engaging in similar practices. Fadnavis emphasized that alliance partners should refrain from recruiting each other's workers moving forward.

In an attempt to convey that everything is normal within the Mahayuti alliance, BJP leaders downplayed the boycott. However, the incident has exposed underlying tensions between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Further fueling the discord, reports emerged that several former corporators of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena joined the BJP in the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation on Tuesday, in the presence of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan.

The BJP's aggressive expansion in Sambhaji Nagar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ambernath, and the Konkan region, all considered strongholds of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has also contributed to the growing rift.

Opposition parties have seized on the situation to criticize the Mahayuti government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed that ministers from the "Munde faction" in the BJP are angry with the leadership and the Chief Minister over seat allocation, and that efforts are underway to split the party. Thackeray derided the ministers skipping the cabinet meeting as an "insult to Maharashtra and its people".

In the wake of the boycott and subsequent discussions, a "no-poaching agreement" has reportedly been reached to ease political friction ahead of the local body elections. Whether this agreement will hold remains to be seen, as the incident has highlighted the persistent unease and distrust within the Mahayuti coalition.

Despite the tensions, Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule clarified that the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP in the Mahayuti alliance will contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections together. The alliance aims to secure two-thirds of the wards and 51 percent of the vote share in the BMC polls.