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Mumbai: Shiv Sena MPs and MLAs huddled at a late night meeting Wednesday with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during which they expressed concerns and resentment about the entry of Ajit Pawar and rebel NCP MLAs into the Maharashtra government.
Shinde assured them that he would take care of them and that there is nothing to worry adding that he would ensure Shiv Sena lawmakers won’t be treated unfairly, a Sena MP privy to the meeting told ThePrint
“It was obvious that all of us were jittery about this sudden change. There were many questions before everyone. People were upset and they needed assurances,” the MP said.
The Maharashtra chief minister had skipped a scheduled function in Nagpur that was attended by President Droupadi Murmu and rushed back to Mumbai to convene the meeting Wednesday night.
According to the Sena insider mentioned above, Shinde asked them to focus on the upcoming elections and hit the ground running for the Lok Sabha. “We have been told that we will have to win the number of seats that we already have and also push hard to get more seats elected,” the MP said.
Meanwhile, senior minister and Sena leader Uday Samant rubbished speculations of a change in guard in leadership as well as the talks of resentment.
#WATCH | Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant after Shiv Sena leaders meeting with Eknath Shinde concludes at Varsha bungalow, says, “Under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde, there was a meeting regarding upcoming session of the Lok Sabha, the session of Maharashtra… pic.twitter.com/lBpRwcnDTq
— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2023
“These are all rumours that Shinde will be replaced. (I) don’t know who is spreading them. There is no resentment amongst any of us. We have reposed our faith in Eknath Shinde, and we trust our leader. Even Devendra Fadnavis has clarified that Shinde ji will be the face of upcoming elections,” the Maharashtra cabinet minister told the media at the end of the meeting.
Upset lawmakers
With the entry of Ajit Pawar and his flock into the coalition government, many Sena lawmakers were upset and as such needed assurances from the chief minister.
There were many questions in front of us and we needed the answers, the Sena MP told ThePrint.
“First of all, we wanted to know if the CM was aware of this induction. He cleared the air that he was on board. Ninety percent of our resentment was cleared after that.
“Then, it was about the apprehensions regarding Ajit Pawar and how we had faced issues regarding funds. He (CM) assured us that since he is the head, he would ensure no injustice will be done to us,” he said.
In June last year, Eknath Shinde along with 40 Sena rebel MLAs had joined hands with the BJP to head the dispensation with himself as the chief minister and the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
Before effecting a vertical split in the Shiv Sena, the Shinde faction had accused Ajit Pawar — who held the finance portfolio in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government — of not giving them enough funds for their constituencies.
Now, with the entry of Ajit Pawar in the Maharashtra government, there are already signs of discomfiture among the Sena ranks.
On Thursday, Shrirang Barne, a two-time Sena MP from Pune’s Maval constituency, asserted that he would again contest from the same constituency. Barne had defeated Ajit Pawar’s son Parth in 2019.
Similarly, Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale told the media that all BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs were against the appointment of NCP’s Aditi Tatkare as the guardian minister of Raigad.
Gogawale has been representing Mahad constituency in Raigad district since 2009.
“When my name was there, I kept waiting but it was decided that the guardian minister of Raigad will be from our ranks. There were two parties back then… It could have gone to the BJP but no question of going to the NCP,” the chief whip of Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: How NCP’s Pawar vs Pawar feud is in keeping with Maharashtra’s tradition of uncle-nephew conflicts
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