Mahayuti Alliance In Maharashtra
(L to R) Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar | ANI
Mumbai: If the sources from Mahayuti are to be believed, selecting the cabinet members has been the toughest job this time. It’s because of a questionnaire given to the ministers from the outgoing government headed by Eknath Shinde.
The former cabinet members were asked to submit their responses on various key aspects, which apparently aimed to gauge their performances. They were asked about their contribution to the development of the district they represent, funds utilisation, implementation of government programmes and other specific tasks suggested by Mahayuti during the Lok Sabha polls.
The ministers were also asked to provide details of the efforts they took to drive the Mahayuti candidates to victory in the general elections. Their contribution during the state polls was another important factor considered for the qualification, said sources.
The report card was sought from the BJP ministers as well as their ruling counterparts (NCP and Shiv Sena). The same questionnaire was also handed out to the MLAs vying for the cabinet berths, said a senior leader of the Mahayuti. It is being said that such scrutiny was one of the major reasons that delayed the process of formation of the government.
According to MLA Sanjay Shirsat, the report was a process adopted by the political parties and not just by Mahayuti. Such exercise is undertaken not only for setting up the cabinet but also for the elections, he said, asserting there is nothing much to be read from it.
However, the exercise led to some sort of resentment, particularly among the ex-Sena ministers. Their protest could not make a mark as the experiment was devised by the BJP’s top leadership. Without making their anger public, a few Sena ministers, whose report cards were negative, were believed to have expressed their strong displeasure.
Even as the government is being formed the issue of strict no for some of the Shinde’s ministerial aspirants may remain for long, said a political source closely following the developments.
