Cabinet expansion riles Shiv Sena

Mumbai: There is discontent brewing within the Shiv Sena over the possibility of a cabinet expansion and the post of deputy chief minister reportedly being offered by alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several party leaders, who are itching for the post, have thrown their hats into the ring.

According to sources, the BJP is likely to offer the post of deputy chief minister to the Shiv Sena in the upcoming cabinet expansion to be carried out before the Assembly session.

Senior Sena minister Subhash Desai is being considered a front runner for the post if party chief Uddhav Thackeray accepts the proposition.

The Shiv Sena is also likely to fill the post of health minister, which has been left vacant after Dr  Deepak Sawant was made to step down after the party decided not to nominate him for another term in the state Legislative Council. The party is also likely to be offered one more post in the cabinet by the BJP.

However, discontent is brewing among party leaders who feel that the party is giving preference to imports from other parties for the ministerial posts. There is also a perception that the party is favouring MLCs for the ministerial posts rather than MLAs.

Jaydutt Kshirsagar, who recently switched loyalties from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to the Sena, is likely to replace Dr Sawant as the health minister.

A senior leader on condition of anonymity said that they had always remained loyal to the party and could never think of quitting it. However, they could see that leaders who had switched loyalties from other parties were being favoured for ministerial posts, and that really hurt.

The possibility of Mr Desai’s name being proposed for the post of deputy chief minister had also upset many in the party.

Mr Desai had been defeated in the 2014 Assembly polls from his Goregaon constituency and had still been made minister by the party.