Mumbai: Two staunch supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde – MLA Sanjay Shirsat and former MP Hemant Patil – who had deserted Uddhav Thackeray to join the Mahayuti, will get short stints as ministers.
About The Appointment
Shirsat, who is also officiating as the party spokesman, has been appointed chairman of the Cash and landrich City & Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). The CIDCO chairmanship comes with the rank of minister for Shirsat, who was denied a cabinet berth as there were already two ministers from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district – Atul Save and Abdul Sattar.
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Patil, who had represented the Hingoli Lok Sabha constituency but was denied the party ticket in the 2024 general election, has been appointed the chairman of the Balasaheb Thackeray Haridra (Turmeric) Research and Training Centre (HBTHRATC), a classified government company under the state department of agriculture. He too has now been given the rank of a minister.
These two appointments come shortly before the state assembly elections scheduled in November. With the announcement of the election schedule expected in the first week of October, Shirsat and Patil will enjoy this status for 20-25 days. Once the schedule is out, the election code of conduct will come into force and the status will become meaningless, said an official from Mantralaya. Both Shirsat and Patil are most likely to contest the upcoming polls. Both Patil and Shirsat are from the Marathwada region, where the Shinde group is trying to strengthen its roots.
