Shiv Sena MLAs target own mins ahead of Cabinet expansion

Mumbai: Amid talks of a Cabinet reshuffle, a group of Shiv Sena MLAs has started targeting some ministers of their party, asking the Sena leadership to dump these non-performing ministers and give young MLAs an opportunity instead, ahead of the general and Assembly elections. Sources said that MLAs from western and northern Maharashtra in particular had put forth the demand to party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

For quite some time now, a political tussle has been brewing between the old and the new guard of the Sena. There has been demand for the removal of a few ministers from the state cabinet since last one year. A few MLAs from western Maharashtra and Marathwada met Mr Thackeray’s personal assistant, Milind Narvekar, during the last monsoon session. In particular, they targeted industries minister Subhash Desai, transport minister Divakar Raote and health minister Deepak Sawant.

A three-term MLA from western Maharashtra said on a condition of anonymity,   “Complaints about these ministers have been made time and again. They do not help Sena MLAs; they do not give us a good hearing and so on. But now, the time has come to take strong measures as elections are approaching.”

There have been indications of a cabinet reshuffle by the end of June and though the Sena has declared that it will contest elections independently,  it hasn’t pulled out of the Fadnavis government. The MLA said, “If we are going to stay in government, why should we have  non-performers as ministers. Appoint people who face elections in the Assembly and ask them to show results.”