JOIN USMaharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray strips rebel MLAs of portfolios as tussle within Shiv Sena deepens
Launching the first strike against the Eknath Shinde-backed group, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday stripped the rebel ministers of their portfolios and relocated to other council-of-ministers.
Shinde’s portfolios of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings) have been allocated to Shiv Sena veteran Subhash Desai, while Gulabrao Patil’s Water Supply and Sanitation portfolio has been handed over to Anil Parab.
This reflects the guarded stand of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as the portfolios have been stripped. The rebel leaders will now be ministers-without-portfolios.
Shinde and Patil, currently holed up in Guwahati, are the two senior-most ministers and Sena leaders.
“The portfolios have been reallocated to other ministers so that the day to day work is not affected and public and large is not inconvenienced,” officials in the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The portfolios of five Cabinet ministers and four Ministers of State have been re-allocated, the CMO said, pointing out that the reallocation was well within the rules and norms.
Dadaji Bhuse’s portfolios of Agriculture and Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare and Sandipan Bhumre’s ministries of Employment Guarantee and Horticulture have been given to Shankarrao Gadakh.
Thackery’s son Aaditya, who is the state Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister, will hold the charge of Higher and Technical Education, which was with Uday Samant.
The charge of the two Ministers of State of Shiv Sena—Abdul Sattar and Shambhuraj Desai and independent/others—Bachchu Kadu and Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar too has been allocated to their junior ministerial colleagues.
It may be mentioned, on Sunday, top MVA leaders met NCP supremo and MVA chief architect Sharad Pawar, to discuss the future course of action.