Denied Cabinet Berth In Mahayuti Govt, Shiv Sena MLA Resigns From Party Post

Naresh Bhondekar was the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena and party coordinator for Vidarbha. Bhondekar put in his papers after text messages to Eknath Shinde and senior leader Uday Samant.

Naresh Bhondekar is the MLA from Bhandara-Pavani seat.

Source : IANS

An MLA from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena resigned from the party post shortly after he was denied a cabinet berth in the Mahayuti government. 

Naresh Bhondekar, the MLA from Bhandara-Pavani seat, was the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena and party coordinator for Vidarbha. However, the three-time MLA has not resigned from the assembly, a report in NDTV said.

The Shiv Sena MLA was promised a minister post, however, he did not get a spot in the cabinet. The report said that Bhondekar put in his papers today after text messages to Eknath Shinde, senior leaders Uday Samant and Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde drew no response. 

The development comes shortly after the 10-day-old BJP-led Mahayuti alliance ministry in Maharashtra was expanded in Nagpur on Sunday. 

39 ministers of the ruling Mahayuti were sworn in on Sunday, taking the strength to 42. While 33 legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers, six took oath as ministers of state.

The BJP secured 19 ministerial berths for being the largest among allies, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party were allotted 11 and 9 berths, respectively. The allocation of portfolios is awaited.

Shiv Sena was allotted nine positions as Cabinet ministers and two MoS. Shambhuraj Desai, Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Uday Samant, Gulabrao Patil, and Sanjay Shirsat were among the legislators inducted into the state cabinet. 

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar, whose party was allotted nine berths, has said some ministers who took oath will have a tenure of two and a half years, underlining constraints in accommodating the aspirations of hopefuls.

"We will give an opportunity to others also for two-and-a-half years. Everybody wants to become a minister and deserves an opportunity, but the ministerial berths are limited," Pawar said while addressing a gathering of his party workers in Nagpur hours before the cabinet expansion.

The council of ministers in Maharashtra can have a maximum of 43 members, including the chief minister. In the November 20 assembly polls, the Mahayuti swept to power, winning 230 out of 288 seats in the state. The BJP led with 132 seats, followed by Shinde's Shiv Sena with 57 and Pawar's NCP getting 41.