Shinde's Sena anxious over induction of NCP ministers

The entry of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party camp in the Maharashtra cabinet headed by Eknath Shinde has left members of Shiv Sena anxious and many of them are wondering whether their political space will shrink which they might have to share with NCP which has wide base in the state.

Notably, the group of MLAs loyal to Shinde had cited the inadequate allocation of funds by Ajit Pawar, who was finance minister in the erstwhile MVA government, to their constituencies as one of the reasons for rebelling against Uddhav Thackeray.

However, Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLA Sanjay Shirsat on Tuesday claimed Ajit Pawar-led NCP joining the Sena-BJP government is as per a larger strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls scheduled next year.

“Party (Shiv Sena) workers and supporters have started asking us how and why did Ajit Pawar and NCP join the government? They said will it shrink their political space in the state. But I can assure you that Ajit Pawar joining the government was inevitable,” Shirsat told a regional news channel.

He said the induction of Ajit Pawar in the state cabinet is a "strong shock" delivered to Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar for their style of politics.

“Every party as well as some individuals have some strength. I feel this decision was taken considering all these factors. CM Eknath Shinde was well aware of the decision and he also has some plans in his mind,” Shirsat said.

He claimed that there could be another round of Cabinet expansion by this Sunday.

Queried about the need to seek Ajit Pawar's support when the government is in a strong position, Shirsat said, “There was no need for us to make the government stable. We already have nearly 172 MLAs on our side. The NCP's support will strengthen us further.”

It is always easy to make tall claims of winning more than 40 Lok Sabha seats. But you need a strategy and plan for the same, he said.