Leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena group did not attend the Maharashtra Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after defections from the faction to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of local body elections, reported PTI.
Only Shinde, who is the deputy chief minister, was part of the meeting.
Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, the Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party group led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shinde Sena leaders Anmol Mhatre, son of former Dombivli corporator Vaman Mhatre, former corporator Mahesh Patil, Sunita Patil and Sayali Vichare joined the BJP, reported Deccan Herald.
Others who were inducted into the Hindutva party were Anmol Mhatre’s wife Ashwini Mhatre, Shinde Sena youth wing leader Gajanan Joshi, the wing’s chief Omkar Surve, Madhuri Salunke, Sushma Sawant, Alka Kolte, Savitatai Shelar, Laxmitai Ranbhare and Shraddha Mane, among others.
Following this, four Shinde Sena ministers, including Gulabrao Patil, Sanjay Shirsat and Pratap Sarnaik, met BJP leader and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reported The Hindu. They expressed discontent about the BJP allegedly poaching Shinde Sena leaders, the newspaper reported.
However, Fadnavis told the ministers that it was the Shinde Sena that had first started inducting BJP leaders in Ulhasnagar, according to the newspaper.
Fadnavis said that parties of the Mahayuti should not induct each other’s leaders from now on, The Hindu reported.
“The chief minister said he will instruct his party leaders as well accordingly,” state minister Dada Bhuse was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
While speaking to reporters, Shinde reiterated that the alliance had decided not to induct leaders from each other’s folds, according to the newspaper. “Devendra Fadnavis and I believe that the alliance should work smoothly,” he was quoted as saying.
This came in the run-up to the elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, which will be held on December 2. The votes will be counted on December 3.
On social media, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the Mahayuti, saying that ministers skipping the Cabinet meeting was “worrisome”.
He claimed that the Shinde Sena did not attend the meeting as it was angry at the BJP for “the seat allocation in the elections and supposedly because they are trying to split their party”.
“But boycotting the Cabinet meeting for their selfish interests is an insult to Maharashtra and its people!” said Thackeray. “Cabinet meetings are meant to solve the people’s issues, not to handle your petty squabbles!”
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