Rastriya Samaj Party leader Mahadeo Jankar and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti would visit Delhi over weekend to have a meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah. Jankar, and SSS leader Sadubhau Khot, might be inducted in the cabinet
Mumbai : While pacifying smaller parties in the ruling grand alliance (MahaYuti), the BJP is learnt to have indicated that the long pending issues like cabinet expansion and political appointments over the state-owned corporations might be settled amicably by this month end.
According to sources, at a recent meeting involving senior party leaders of the smaller parties in grand alliance were assured by senior BJP leaders that the cabinet expansion might take place somewhere by this month-end.
It was also decided that the Rastriya Samaj Party (RSP) leader Mahadeo Jankar and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) leader Raju Shetti would visit Delhi over weekend to have a meeting with BJP presindent Amit Shah. Jankar, along with SSS leader Sadubhau Khot, might be inducted in the cabinet, sources have said.
Along with RSP and SSS, Ramdas Athawale’s RPI(A) and Vinayak Mete’s Shiv Sangram (SS) are part of ‘MahaYuti’ since before the Parliamentary elections in 2014. These parties stayed with the BJP in assembly elections after the Shiv Sena decided to fight separately.
Mete and Jankar were made Legislative Council members before the budget session. Ramdas Athawale was sent to the Rajya Sabha even before the assembly elections. Only SSS was the party, who is vocal over the farmers’ plight, had not received any share in the power as yet.
Recently, they also joined hands with the BJP for civic elections in Kolhapur, where again the BJP and Shiv Sena are expected to contest separately.
With the new developments, the SSS would get its’ share, it is being indicated.
The SSS along with other smaller allies had threatened a state-wide stir over farmers’ issues starting August 24.
In a bid to stop the allies from going ahead with the stir, state BJP presindent Raosaheb Danve and central observer Saroj Pande had a meeting with the leaders at the official residence of MoS Vidya Thakur on Friday. Athawale, who is not in the city was the only leader missing, sources said.
The leaders were reassured that all the promises made to them would be fulfilled and issues related to appointments including the cabinet expansions would be settled soon.
