Mumbai: Back in the saddle after a dream win in the recent assembly elections, the Mahayuti has made some changes in its return avatar. 12 of its members have been administered the shock treatment, having been denied berths in the cabinet expansion on Sunday.
The big names who failed to make it include Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil from the NCP, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ravindra Chavan and Suresh Khade from the BJP and Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar and Deepak Kesarkar from the Shiv Sena. Chhagan Bhujbal was the big omission, as he was seen taking head on the Maratha reservation activist Manoj JarangePatil. He had served as the deputy CM in the Congress-NCP government. Dilip Walse-Patil, another important face from the NCP, had only recently said that he was fit and fine and ready to serve as minister, dispelling doubts over his health issues.
NCP Decides To Drop Key Leaders
The NCP decided to drop Baba Dharmarao Atram, a prominent face from the tribal community in Gadchiroli, Anil Patil from Jalgaon, and Sanjay Bansode from Latur. Patil was the chief whip of the party in the last assembly. The BJP dropped a bombshell by denying cabinet berths to Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vijaykumar Gavit, Suresh Khade and Ravindra Chavan. Mungantiwar was a prominent face in the former government, serving as the minister for finance, forests and cultural affairs.
The decision on Ravindra Chavan was a surprise, as he was among the most trusted ministers of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He has been playing an important role in the party’s growth in the Konkan region. He is tipped to be the new state unit chief of the BJP, it is said. While Vijaykumar Gavit is a senior MLA from Nandurbar district who belongs to the tribal community, Khade is from the scheduled caste community from the Sangli district.
For the Shiv Sena, the decision to drop prominent faces such as Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, and Deepak Kesarkar must have been difficult. After much deliberation, CM Eknath Shinde decided to omit their names from the list of the ministers, it is being said. The BJP was believed to have been aggressive about dropping these names from the cabinet for various reasons. However, there is still a ray of hope for the dropouts from the Shiv Sena and the NCP, as both parties have decided to effect changes in their lists after two-and-a-half years.
About The Announcement Made By Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar announced that the ministers sworn in on Sunday would make way for the new faces after two-and-a-half years. The Shiv Sena on the other hand, took in writing from its ministers that they would abide by party chief Eknath Shinde’s decision to effect changes in the cabinet as and when needed.
Statement Of Minister Shambhuraj Desai
Newly sworn-in minister from Shiv Sena Shambhuraj Desai said, “We have provided in writing that our leader, Deputy CM Ekanth Shinde can change cabinet ministers at any time. He can give a chance to other MLAs if he feels it is necessary.”
Uday Samant and Sanjay Shirsat, both of whom were sworn in on Sunday, said, “Dy CM Shinde has the full right to remove any minister at any time. If a minister does not perform well during his 2.5-year tenure, he can be removed by the party chief.”
NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said on Sunday that the Mahayuti would give a chance to other legislators who had not found a place in the current ministry, during this government’s tenure. “We will allow others also, for 2.5 years,” said Pawar, addressing a gathering of his party workers in Nagpur.
“We have decided that during the five-year tenure of this government, we will allow others also for two-and-a-half years, which means many will get a chance to become (cabinet) ministers and state ministers. Accordingly, many districts and regions will get representation,” Pawar promised.
