"Supported me more than a friend": Govinda after meeting Ramdas Athawale

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 8 : Shiv Sena leader and renowned actor Govinda on Saturday met Union Minister of State (MoS) for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale and expressed his gratitude towards the latter for being a constant support.
He also extended his wishes to Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde who recently took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
"Your support has always been with me. When I was an MP (member of Parliament) ...I didn't have any experience to understand politics. At that time, you supported me. Our relations have always been good...you have supported me more than a friend. It feels like family," Govinda said while appreciating Republican Party of India (A) chief Athawale for constantly supporting him.
Govinda said he was thankful to Shinde for giving him a chance to serve Maharashtra.
"I extend my best wishes to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and thank him for giving me the opportunity to serve the land of Maharashtra. I was able to serve Maharashtra with the support of BJP, Shiv Sena and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. I thank everyone for this ..." Govinda said.
Earlier, Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party Chief Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra on December 5.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath to Shinde and Pawar at a ceremony held at Mumbai's Azad Maidan.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of the new Mahayuti government.
The ceremony was held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other prominent leaders at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with others were also present at the event.
The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.
The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively. While the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats.