Narendra Bhondekar, a three-time MLA from the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, has resigned from his party position as the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena and party coordinator for Vidarbha. The resignation comes after Bhondekar, who represents the Bhandara-Pavani Assembly Constituency, was denied a ministerial position in the new cabinet, despite being promised one.
Bhondekar’s resignation follows a series of unsuccessful attempts to get a response from Eknath Shinde and senior leaders Uday Samant and Shrikant Shinde, after he sent text messages expressing his disappointment over not being included in the cabinet. While he has stepped down from his party posts, Bhondekar has not resigned from his position as MLA.
The cabinet expansion took place today, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis swearing in 39 ministers, three weeks after the assembly elections. The newly formed cabinet includes 19 ministers from the BJP, 11 from Shiv Sena, and nine from the NCP, bringing the total number of ministers to 42, including Fadnavis and his deputies.
Shiv Sena’s new list of ministers includes names like Shambhuraj Desai, Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Uday Samant, Gulabrao Patil, and Sanjay Shirsat. However, not all party members were pleased with the outcome. In addition to Bhondekar, Union Minister and PRI chief Ramdas Athavale, who was also expecting a cabinet berth for his party, voiced his discontent, publicly stating he would discuss the matter with BJP leaders Amit Shah and JP Nadda, accusing Fadnavis of not fulfilling his promise.
Chaggan Bhujbal from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who was also left out of the cabinet, chose not to attend the pre-oath ceremony gathering in Nagpur. Similarly, Deepak Kesarkar, the Primary Education Minister in Shinde’s government, also refrained from attending the event, saying that only those who were invited went. Kesarkar confirmed that, as an MLA, he would attend the assembly session as required.
In the recent assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The BJP claimed the largest share with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively. Despite the alliance’s success, the cabinet distribution has led to internal dissent within the parties.
Sources By Agencies
