Denied Cabinet Berth, Shiv Sena MLA Resigns From Party Post

An MLA from Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena, peeved at being denied a cabinet berth, has resigned from a party post. Narendra Bhondekar was the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena and party coordinator for Vidarbha, where the BJP-led ruling alliance Mahayuti  won 47 of 62 seats.

The MLA of Bhandara-Pavani Assembly Constituency, however, has not resigned from the assembly.

Mr Bhondekar — a three-time MLA of Shiv Sena – was promised a minister post. But he did not get a spot in the cabinet. He put in his papers today after his text messages to Eknath Shinde, senior leaders Uday Samant and Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde drew no response. 

Uday Samant took oath as a minister in the new cabinet of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today.

Mr Fadnavis today completed his cabinet expansion exercise as 39 MLAs took oath in Nagpur more than three weeks after the assembly election results were declared. 

Thirty-nine ministers took oath at a grand programme at the Raj Bhavan this evening. Nineteen of the ministers were from the BJP, eleven from the  Shiv Sena and nine from the NCP. Counting in Mr Fadnavis and his deputies, 42 berths are full now.  

The Sena’s list of ministers include Shambhuraj Desai, Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Uday Samant, Gulabrao Patil, and Sanjay Shirsat.

Besides Mr Bhondekar, PRI chief and Union minister Ramdas Athavale was also hopeful of getting a ministry for his party, which he he didn’t. He went public saying he’ll talk to Shah and Nadda because Fadnavis didn’t keep his word. 

Nationalist Congress Party’s  Chaggan Bhujbal, who didn’t find a spot in the cabinet either, was not present at the party gathering at Nagpur held before the oath ceremony. 

Deepak Kesarkar, Primary Education minister in Eknath Shinde’s government, did not go to the event. He told reporters that those who got a call went. 

At the Sai baba temple in Nagpur, he told reporters, “As an MLA I’ll have to attend the session, I’ll do that”. 

In the assembly election held earlier this year, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory, winning 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena and the NCP scooped up 57 and 41 seats.