MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MLAs met chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday to take stock of the situation following Ajit Pawar and eight of his supporters joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government. With 29 of the 43 (the maximum allowed strength) cabinet berths now taken, many Shinde Sena MLAs now believe they barely have a chance of being inducted into the Maharashtra cabinet before polls are held in 2024.
Sena leaders said Shinde met close to a dozen party representatives and assured them that he would talk to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to resolve pending issues.
Sena minister Shambhuraje Desai said that there was no resentment among Sena MLAs. "CM Shinde welcomed Ajit Pawar's entry and all his colleagues who have come to strengthen the Maha Yuti and strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We all have come together to carry forward the ideas of Hindutva. There is no resentment among Shiv Sena MLAs due to Ajit Pawar becoming DCM or NCP leaders getting ministerial posts. Also, there are still 14 seats left in the cabinet, which will also expand soon," Desai said.
But for those among the Sena MLAs whose principal opponent in the last polls was the NCP and claimed that they walked out on Uddhav Thackeray because the former was trying to marginalise them in their pocket boroughs, the new power-sharing equation with the Ajit Pawar-led team is bound to cause some heartburn.
"Most Shinde faction MLAs are not mass leaders who can match up to NCP bigwigs like Bhujbal and Walse-Patil. Many will now have to play second fiddle to both BJP and NCP. Seat-sharing for 2024 will also be a complication for them," a political observer said.
Sena MLAs like Bharat Gogawale from Raigad and Suhas Kande in Nashik are among those who will face a tougher challenge on their personal turf now with NCP's Aditi Tatkare and Bhujbal becoming ministers.
"They will be in a dilemma due to the developments. Now they will be treated as the third party in power," a Sena (UBT) functionary said.
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