India, Feb. 16 -- The political rivalry between BJP minister Ganesh Naik and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, which began years before the local body elections, has continued even after their conclusion. Without naming anyone, Naik accused Shinde of allocating public land parcels in Navi Mumbai to the builder lobby and claimed that he could diminish Shinde's political influence. In response, Shinde's son and MP Shrikant Shinde hit back on Sunday, challenging Naik to contest an election from Thane or Kalyan.

Naik was inducted into the state cabinet by the BJP after the 2024 assembly elections reportedly to cut Shinde down to size in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Palghar. Over the past year, he has repeatedly targeted Shinde on various issues...