In a bold and politically charged address during the Maharashtra Assembly session, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pledged a pothole-free Mumbai for the next 25 years, while delivering pointed attacks on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS leader Raj Thackeray.

Speaking under Rule 293 — which allows debates on matters of public interest — Shinde declared, “For us, it’s ‘Mumbai First’. For them, it was always ‘Contractor First’.” The remark was a direct jab at the Uddhav Thackeray-led administration, which he accused of favouring contractors over citizens.

Without naming MNS chief Raj Thackeray directly, Shinde criticized him for bringing up divisive issues like “Mumbai should be separated from Maharashtra” during election season. “Every time polls are near, these issues come up. But we are working to unite Mumbai — with Atal Setu, Coastal Road and the Metro,” he said. He further described such tactics as “Swarthacha Zenda, Satecha Agenda” — or flags of selfishness and hunger for power.

Highlighting the infrastructural push, Shinde recalled a meeting during the previous government’s tenure with BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, in which he and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis questioned the slow pace of road concretisation in Mumbai. “We were told that only 50 km of roads were concretised every year. I asked — is there a rule for that? There was none,” Shinde said. That moment, he explained, led to a massive push to concretise all roads in Mumbai by December 2027, under a two-phase plan.

“This step will ensure that for the next 25 years, Mumbai won’t suffer from potholes,” he declared, drawing a sharp contrast with what he described as the opposition's lack of real civic commitment.