Shiv Sena picks Shrikant Shinde as head of parliamentary party

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appoints son Shrikant Shinde as Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party leader, sparking criticism and praise for alleged dynasty politics.

Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde, who has often spoken against dynasticism in politics, on Friday appointed his son Shrikant Shinde as the group leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party. Shinde was chosen as the group leader at a meeting of the newly elected Shiv Sena MPs in Delhi.

HT Image

Shiv Sena (UBT) criticised Eknath Shinde over the appointment, with Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant saying, “These are hypocrite people. For years, BJP attacked the Gandhi family for dynasty politics. But now, in the case of Sena, there is dynasty politics. Shinde [first] gave a [Lok Sabha] ticket to his son and now made him leader of the parliamentary party. They can even make him a minister.’’

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde hit back at the criticism, saying Shrikant Shinde was picked because he is the best MP in Lok Sabha and won the Sansad Ratna award for his performance. “Uddhav Thackeray faction is jittery because of his appointment. He the youth face of Maharashtra.”