Shinde said to advise restraint as Navnath Ban, Ravindra Dhangekar fight on social media

Friction within the Mahayuti has come out in the open after the results of the Legislative Council graduates' and teachers' constituency elections. Leaders of the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena are trading charges and counter-charges.

A social media war between BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar is the talk of political circles. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is reported to have stepped into the quarrel, and he is said to have advised Dhangekar to show restraint.

Ban and Dhangekar have been trading barbs for the past few days. Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Nilesh Rane had also criticised Ban. A fresh controversy has now arisen from a social media post by Dhangekar.

Dhangekar posted a cartoon-style image. Its background shows the BJP office and the lotus symbol, and a man is feeding a pav to a dog. With the post, Dhangekar made a remark about Navnath Ban in objectionable words. He wrote in Marathi, which translates as: "This is his worth, and he has come to pick a fight with Dhangekar. Boy, even your masters do not tangle with us. You will not even know when you get neutered." He also added the hashtags #बनश्वान, #चिल्ला_पुकार and #Paid_Animal to the post.

Ban, for his part, replied on social media. He posted an image of a colour-changing chameleon with Dhangekar's face. The image shows the symbols of the Congress, the MNS and the Shiv Sena on Dhangekar's body, the parties in which Dhangekar has worked before. Ban wrote, "What do Punekars say, colour-changing Dhangekar!"

The posts by the two leaders have heated up the dispute between the BJP and Shinde's Shiv Sena on social media.

Meanwhile, sources say Shinde has intervened in the matter. According to sources, he has told Dhangekar and other leaders not to make statements that create bitterness in the Mahayuti. It is also said that Shinde told the leaders to devote themselves to helping people in drought-affected areas instead of wasting time on political charges and counter-charges.

The row, which began after the elections, has again raised the question of coordination within the Mahayuti. It remains to be seen whether the social media war between Dhangekar and Navnath Ban stops after Shinde's advice.