In BJP, there is resentment among loyal party MLAs who are not happy over the “outsiders” who joined the party in the past few years getting preference while picking the ministers
Mumbai It has been a month since chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis were sworn-in but things are not exactly hunky-dory in both camps as cabinet expansion is yet to take place.
There has been unrest with a large number of aspirants for ministerial berths. The rebel MLAs are also wary with uncertainty over their future due to pending petitions over the split in Sena in the Supreme Court as well as the bid of Uddhav Thackeray to revive the party organisation by hitting the ground.
In BJP, there is resentment among loyal party MLAs who are not happy over the “outsiders” who joined the party in the past few years getting preference while picking the ministers.
With the names of turncoats like Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Ganesh Naik and Pravin Darekar who joined the BJP in the last few years, making rounds for the inclusion in the cabinet from the party quota, the party loyalists have started raising questions about whether they will get adequate representation in power.
“It is true that the outsiders have been getting preference in power not only in the state but also at the national level. Of the four ministers inducted from Maharashtra into the Modi cabinet last year, three (Narayan Rane, Kapil Patil and Bharti Pawar) were outsiders and only Bhagwat Karad was an old BJP hand. Similarly, the names that are making rounds as probable for the cabinet are ‘outsiders’. The issue has been raised at the appropriate forum and we expect it to be resolved by the party leadership. There will be a reaction after the expansion of the cabinet if the loyal legislators do not get due representation,” said a senior party leader from Mumbai.
Darekar, Vikhe-Patil and Navi Mumbai heavyweight politician Ganesh Naik are likely to be made ministers from the BJP quota. Darekar joined the party in 2015 and was made leader of the opposition in 2019. Vikhe-Patil and naik joined the BJP ahead of the elections in 2019.
“Party believes in organisational values and discipline which give utmost importance to the loyalist. But since the leadership changed its stance and started inducting heavyweights from other parties with an aim to become the single largest party in 2019, the loyalists feel neglected within the party. Some of the leaders like Narayan Rane have gelled with the party cadre at the local level, but in some cases like Vikhe-Patil and Naik, there are differences within local units. There is unrest with some leaders getting undue limelight despite having no mass support,” another leader said.
Fadnavis last week told party workers and leaders during the state executive meeting in Panvel that they should not keep expectations for the inclusion in cabinet or nomination to the legislative council. “There are multiple eligible people in the party for the inclusion in the cabinet and also for the nomination to the 13 legislative council seats. Instead of expecting too much, we all should work for the 2024 elections to ensure that we bring the part in the power single-handedly,” he said.
Maharashtra BJP’s vice president Madhav Bhandari said, “There are no differences or uneasiness within the unit over the political rewards. All our leaders and workers know the situation in which the new government has come into existence and they all are ready to accept it. The reports about the rift within the state unit are baseless.”
Meanwhile, there is unease in the rebel Sena camp.
A senior legislator from the Shinde camp admitted that there is unease among them not just over the ministerial berths but also the pending Supreme Court verdict on the petitions related to the split among Sena and also the attempt of a beleaguered Uddhav Thackeray to mobilise the loyal Sena support base in his favour. It is not a situation where the rebels are regretting their decisions but they are a bit wary of what is going on and want things to settle as early as possible, he said.
“As per the power-sharing pact with BJP, we will get 15 ministerial berths. We already have nine MLAs who were ministers in the Thackeray-led government and they have been promised that they would be made ministers again. Practically almost each of the 50 MLAs in our camp wants to be a minister,” he remarked.
The legislators are wary of pending petitions in the Supreme Court. “There is a feeling of uncertainty as there are speculations that the apex court would refer all the petitions to a constitutional bench. In that case, the verdict could get delayed for a few months as the bench would examine the entire issue in detail. Shindeji has been consulting top lawyers on the issue but several MLAs are wary of the verdict. The delay in expanding the cabinet is leading to more speculations,” said a former minister and current rebel MLA.
While things are not moving at an expected speed for the rebel faction, some of them are wary of the offensive launched by Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya on the ground. The father-son duo has hit the ground right from the beginning of the rebellion and has been holding meetings to galvanise the party cadre on the ground. “At several places, there are rival factions within the party. While the MLA has shifted, his local rival is now mobilizing the cadre which is worrying for some of them. Moreover, they are wary of the sympathy factor—if Thackeray gets sympathy from the traditional Sena voter, there could be a difficulty for the rebel MLAs who are elected from traditional Sena strongholds,” said the above-mentioned legislator.
Nationalist Congress Party’s state chief Jayant Patil said that the discontent and differences within the Shinde camp and the BJP have delayed the cabinet expansion. “Many aspirants in the Shinde camp are disturbed as they are not sure if they will be inducted into the cabinet. Similarly, a group in BJP is upset over their leadership’s decision to compromise on the post of the chief minister. The CM has to keep shuttling between Mumbai and Delhi for decisions….this has delayed the expansion and the common man and farmers are bearing the brunt,” he remarked.
Kesarkar said, “All these are rumours that there are differences or unease among us over the ministerial berths. The cabinet expansion will take place very soon. The decision taken by our leaders will be accepted by all of us.”
