In a last-minute move ahead of the state Assembly elections, the Maharashtra government has issued a tender for a ₹90-crore advertising campaign on digital platforms, sparking outrage from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the Mahayuti government, labelling it "mahajhoothi" and sharing details of the tender on social media platform X.
"For digital publicity, the Mahajhoothi Government has issued a five-day tender of ₹90 crore, amounting to ₹18 crore per day, ₹75 lakh per hour, and ₹1.5 lakh per minute! This is a blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money for the political gain of this illegitimate government," Chaturvedi said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jayant Patil also criticized the tender, alleging that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government has already spent ₹1,500 crore on publicity. He argued that such funds could have been better used for farmer support, student welfare, and overall development in the state.
"To date, the Mahayuti government has spent nearly ₹1,500 crore on publicity. This money could have greatly assisted farmers, funded youth skill development, and provided quality uniforms for underprivileged students. Consider how many roads could have been constructed in rural and tribal areas, and how many families could have been supported with this funding. The Mahayuti government epitomises corrupt governance and excessive advertising," Patil stated.
Congress leader Atul Londhe echoed these concerns, highlighting the state's existing debt of over ₹8 lakh crore. "The state is in debt to the tune of more than ₹8 lakh crores, yet the government is focused on issuing tenders and collecting commissions. This is wasteful and rampant," Londhe remarked.
The Maharashtra government has faced criticism for announcing pre-election sops costing ₹96,000 crore in the recent budget, which includes the Ladki Bahin scheme expected to cost ₹46,000 crore annually.