MVA simmering but under lid

MVA simmering but under lid

Shiv Sena tops the list with almost 14 legislators who are not happy at being omitted in the ministerial expansion, and are questioning the leadership's decision.

Sanjay JogUpdated: Thursday, January 02, 2020, 06:44 AM IST
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Uddhav Thackeray |

Mumbai: Not just the Shiv Sena, all the three MVA partners are grappling with discontent. Legislators are angry and blaming their leadership, after they were left out in the cold.

Shiv Sena tops the list with almost 14 legislators who are not happy at being omitted in the ministerial expansion, and are questioning the leadership's decision.

Congress leadership, too, is under attack from the supporters of legislators PN Patil, Sangram Thopte and Praniti Shinde who did not get ministerial berths.

There are reports from the Congress party's Kolhapur district unit that Patil, who was close to former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh, may resign to protest against his exclusion. Thopte supporters, meanwhile, ransacked the party office in Pune. However, Thopte claimed that they were not his supporters.

NCP has pacified its lone sulking legislator Prakash Solanke, who had decided to resign as a mark of protest against his exclusion in the cabinet.

There is one thing common among these sulking legislators: they lack a “sutradhar” or a leader to show them the way and bind them together. They are expressing their anger independently on the margins but can do little else apart from resigning from their seats.

Nor is the BJP inclined to poach in the troubles waters just yet; it can only snipe from the sidelines; having overplayed its hand once, it will hold back its punches until a more conducive opportunity presents itself.

The Shiv Sena list of discontented legislators include Ramdas Kadam, Diwakar Raote, Deepak Kesarkar, Bhaskar Jadhav, Pratap Sarnaik, Prakash Abitkar, Tanaji Sawant, Anil Babar, Sanjay Shirsat, Sanjay Raimulkar, Ashish Jaiswal, Sunil Prabhu, Sunil Raut, and Ravindra Waikar.

They are furious over CM Uddhav Thackeray's decision to induct three independents — Bacchu Kadu, Shankarrao Gadakh and Rajendra Yedravkar.

Thackeray has clarified that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is a three-party coalition and there were limitations to accommodating all aspirants. Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna' had acknowledged as much when it said that “original Shiv Sainiks” could not be inducted in the council of ministers.

Bhaskar Jadhav, who quit NCP and was elected from Guhagar seat as a Sena nominee, said he would meet Thackeray to know why he was dropped despite his seniority and him having administrative and legislative experience. “I do not know what went wrong. What mistake I had committed. I will seek a reply from Thackeray,” Jadhav told FPJ.

Pratap Sarnaik from Ovala Majiwada constituency was also surprised for not getting a ministerial berth. “I will make more efforts to prove my loyalty,” he said.

Furthermore, Sena MP from Yavatmal Bhavana Gawli is not happy for elevating Sanjay Rathod to the cabinet rank. Gawli, who had complained against Rathod for working against the party in the Lok Sabha election, had lobbied for Sanjay Raimulkar and Gopikishan Bajoria.

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