District Council Polls Cast Shadow Over Maharashtra Cabinet Meeting

The ongoing district council election campaign appears to have taken precedence over governance, with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and around 17 ministers remaining absent from the Maharashtra state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.

Poll Season Pressure
The absence comes in the backdrop of an intense election season in the state. Elections to 29 municipal corporations were held recently, keeping most senior leaders occupied with campaigning. The civic polls also saw sharp exchanges and allegations among ruling alliance partners, raising curiosity about how ministers would interact once they came together for the first cabinet meeting after the results.

Low Attendance Earlier Too
The first cabinet meeting after the municipal elections was held on January 24, but only 10 to 12 ministers attended. Even before the civic poll process concluded, elections to district councils were announced, pushing ministers back into campaign mode in their respective districts.

Shinde Misses Meetings
At Tuesday's meeting, only 21 of the 38 ministers were present, with 17 ministers remaining absent. Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not attend either of the two cabinet meetings held after the municipal elections.

Shiv Sena Campaign Push
According to sources, Shinde is set to address more than 30 public meetings and roadshows across the state as part of the Shiv Sena’s micro-level planning for the upcoming district council elections. Following municipal corporation and municipal council polls, the party has intensified its campaign strategy for the rural local body elections, with Shinde expected to hold the maximum number of rallies.

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Fadnavis on Trail
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is also gearing up for an aggressive campaign. He is scheduled to address 22 public meetings over a span of seven days, beginning January 28 from the Konkan region. Sources said that the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers and several cabinet colleagues are likely to remain busy with election campaigning over the next week.

Who Attended Cabinet
Ministers present at the cabinet meeting included Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and ministers Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Girish Mahajan, Dadaji Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Chhagan Bhujbal, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Pankaja Munde, Ashok Uike, Ashish Shelar, Narhari Zirwal, Sanjay Shirsat, Sanjay Savkare, Pratap Sarnaik, Aakash Fundkar, Ganesh Naik, Chandrakant Patil, Nitesh Rane and Jaykumar Gore.

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