Kolhapur (Maharashtra), April 15 (IANS): Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde on Monday claimed that the Opposition, which was routed in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will once again be defeated in the forthcoming General Elections.

CM Shinde, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar and ministers Hasan Mushrif, Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, addressed the rally at Kolhapur ahead of filing of nominations by Shiv Sena nominees Sanjay Mandlik from Kolhapur and Dhairyasheel Mane from Hatkanangale constituencies.

“This election is not for one person and not for one constituency but this election is going to take the country towards becoming a superpower.

“This election will make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for the third time. PM Modi has not only strengthened the Indian economy but also brought it from the 11th position to the 5th position.

“Now we want to strengthen the hands of PM Modi so that India attains the third position,’’ said Shinde.

‘’Due to the tireless efforts of PM Modi, India's respect has increased worldwide. The grand alliance government in the state is also working tirelessly for overall development,”’ said Shinde.

He taunted his former boss and ex-Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray that the Mahayuti government did not sit at home and work through Facebook.

Shinde appealed to the Mahayuti workers to fight the General Elections unitedly, considering it a fight for patriotism and development.