Fadnavis meets Shinde late night to discuss power-sharing arrangement: Reports
Amid the raging political battle in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Devendra Fadnavis met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde late Thursday night at his official residence. Reports say the leaders discussed the power-sharing arrangement as the delay in the cabinet's expansion is creating unease among lawmakers. The cabinet currently has 29 ministers against a maximum limit of 43.
Why does this story matter?
The meeting came amid reports of discontent within Shinde's Shiv Sena over the entry of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs into the cabinet. The Shinde camp reportedly grew restless after Ajit's "I want to be CM" remark, triggering speculations that he could replace Shinde. Meanwhile, Shinde said he has the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
Cabinet expansion was on the cards since last year
Apart from Shinde and Fadnavis, the Maharashtra cabinet has nine ministers each from the Shiv Sena and the BJP. On Sunday, Ajit was appointed Deputy CM for the third time within four years, while eight of his MLAs were appointed ministers. A cabinet expansion has been on the cards since the BJP came back to power in coalition with the Shiv Sena in 2022.
Ruling coalition stronger with 3 parties: Shinde
The Shinde camp has refuted the reports of discontent within its lawmakers over the NCP leaders' entry into the state's ruling coalition. Shinde said the government has grown stronger with the alliance of three parties, and it now has the support of over 200 MLAs.
I'm still NCP president: Sharad Pawar
For now, the struggle for the NCP's reins continues, with the party's founder, Sharad Pawar, claiming to still be the party's president. His remarks came after he held the party's national executive meeting in Delhi, which the Ajit faction claimed had "no legal sanctity." The meeting ratified the expulsion of the nine rebel MLAs, including Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare.
