Rumblings within Mahayuti grow ahead of assembly polls, cabinet expansion

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, by flaunting its superior strike rate, has laid claim to the big brother title in the alliance

MUMBAI: Days after the Lok Sabha elections, the rumblings within the ruling Mahayuti with regard to power-sharing have intensified. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, by flaunting its superior strike rate, has laid claim to the big brother title in the alliance while the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP has announced that it deserves a respectable number of seats in the assembly polls. The tussle between the three parties is expected to increase even more, as the ruling alliance is planning to go in for a cabinet expansion.

CM Shinde and his deputies are expected to meet union minister Amit Shah in the next few days to finalise cabinet expansion. (ANI)

By winning seven of the 15 seats it fought, the Shinde Sena registered a better strike rate than even the BJP which won just nine seats of the 28 it contested. The NCP (Ajit Pawar) was the worst, winning just one of four seats. This has led to fighting within the ruling combine over seat-sharing in the assembly polls expected to be held in October this year.

Shinde Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat raised the hackles of BJP MP and minister Narayan Rane when he declared that his party was the big brother in the assembly on account of its strike rate of 46% in the Lok Sabha polls. Rane rubbished the claim, saying the strike rate had nothing to do with seat-sharing. “Strike rate is not a parameter or a weighing scale in seat-sharing,” he said. “Shirsat is just an MLA; the decision related to sharing will be taken by the leaders of the alliance. They will decide who is the big brother.”

Chhagan Bhujbal said the NCP (AP) would expect a sizable chunk of seats. “We were assured of 90 assembly seats when we joined the state government in June last year,” he said. “We expect a respectable number of seats in the assembly elections unlike the share we got in the Lok Sabha polls.”

The rumblings within the ruling alliance are expected to intensify further during the cabinet expansion, which is expected to take place in the next few weeks. “The three parties are planning to induct at least 12 to 13 more leaders in the cabinet to quell the discontent among the aspirants,” said a senior leader from Shinde-led Sena. “Shinde and his deputies are expected to meet union minister Amit Shah in the next few days to finalise it. They will also discuss the sharing of statutory boards and corporations.”

The parties are also expected to take a call on the nomination to 12 seats of the legislative council from the governor’s quota. “All three parties have far more aspirants than there are vacancies, leading to infighting,” said a senior BJP leader. “Also, in the wake of the Lok Sabha results, the Shinde Sena is expecting a greater share of power, which has become a bone of contention. We fear it will exacerbate the infighting ahead of the polls.”