PUNE/MUMBAI: Discontent is brewing in the 11-day-old Mahayuti govt with several bigwigs among the alliance partners expressing disappointment at not getting cabinet berths.
While senior politicians like Chhagan Bhujbal openly expressed disappointment over his omission in the new cabinet, other Mahayuti members, including former minister Tanaji Sawant, Vijay Shivtare, and Sadabhau Khot, are equally unhappy.
Though some of these MLAs accepted the alliance’s decision, not all were happy. One of them is Shiv Sena’s Tanaji Sawant, who was the health minister in the Eknath Shinde-led govt. On the day of the oath-taking ceremony, Sawant reached Nagpur. After his name did not figure in the list of the ministers, he flew back to Pune and changed his profile picture on his social media account — from the party’s symbol to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s photograph.
A supporter of Sawant from the Bhum Paranda constituency in Dharashiv said, “During the poll campaign, Shinde had promised to give Sawant a cabinet post if we worked for the party.”
Shiv Sena’s Vijay Shivtare, who represents Purandar in the assembly, said, “I was very disappointed with the treatment I got from senior members of all three parties (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) in Mahayuti. It is unfortunate that the cabinet ministers were selected on the basis of caste equation, and not on their potential.”
Discontent is also brewing in the smaller Mahayuti allies as none of their representatives could make it to the cabinet. Speaking about the cabinet expansion, Rayat Kranti Sanghtna chief and MLC Sadabhau Khot said, “During the poll campaign, smaller parties worked tirelessly for the candidates of major parties. After the results, we were expecting some consideration for us in the cabinet. But they did not include my name for the cabinet.”
Union minister of state and RPI chief Ramdas Athawale also said his party should have got some representation in the cabinet. “RPI has a big support base in the state’s rural parts. The major parties should have spared at least one minister’s post for our party,” Athawale said.
Former cabinet minister and senior NCP member Dilip Walse Patil said, “Our alliance got a massive majority, but there is a limit on the number of MLAs for govt to include in the cabinet.”
Shahuwadi MLA Vinay Kore, founder president of Jan Surajya Shakti Party, said, “I am more interested in knowing why the cabinet post was not given to me.”
