The Shinde group has 40 Shiv Sena MLAs and another about 10 MLAs from smaller parties and independents, several of whom are hoping that they would get a cabinet position.
“You will see a fight happening soon between the Shinde group and the BJP. They (Shinde-BJP) have given promises to everyone (among rebel Sena MLAs) to be made a minister and hence this is going to be a problem,” Sena MP Vinayak Raut said on Friday. “If they (rebel MLAs) don’t get any berth, then they would be sitting on their neck.”
Raut’s claim shows how curiously the Sena is watching the cabinet expansion.The Shiv Sena and also the NCP leadership believe that the BJP-Shinde group deliberately planned the cabinet expansion after the presidential polls on July 18, as they fear that those who do not get a cabinet berth may show their anger during the presidential polls.
The Shinde-BJP group is aware that several rebel Sena and independent MLAs are keen to be made ministers, which is why within the BJP circles, there is a talk that the first cabinet expansion may be a small affair, inducting only nine to 11 ministers, so as to keep those who haven’t got any berths hopeful of being a minister in the next round.
Shinde on Friday responded to Shiv Sena’s comments saying that his government was “stable” and would complete the tenure of 2.5 years. “No one was brought with me forcibly; eight ministers had quit the earlier government and joined a party in the opposition. They (MLAs with him) have not joined with me with any expectations. They will not hound us, they will be hounding you,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Thackeray camp on Friday accused the state government of stalling a decision taken by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Sambhaji Nagar and Darashiv, respectively.
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