The big 5 who will help run Maharashthra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s show

The team which will be assisting Uddhav Thackeray include two key Sena leaders, Subhash Desai and Eknath Shinde; party youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray; party MP Sanjay Raut; and his secretary, Milind Narvekar.

Taking over as the chief minister (CM) of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray now has a bigger responsibility besides heading the Shiv Sena — running the government and handling a coalition of three parties. This will need strategizing and political management, and according to people close to the Sena chief, Thackeray will now have a team to assist him with this task.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with MLAs after the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance won the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly, in Mumbai on Saturday. (ANI Photo)

The team which will be assisting him include two key Sena leaders, Subhash Desai and Eknath Shinde; party youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray; party MP Sanjay Raut; and his secretary, Milind Narvekar. Desai and Shinde have been sworn in as ministers along with Thackeray, while Narvekar has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the CM’s office (CMO). According to a close aide of Thackeray, Desai’s role will be to guide the CM on issues related to governance and policy-making. Desai was the industries minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. He is also expected to attend various official conferences and interact with different delegations on behalf of Thackeray. Shinde, who was initially elected as the Sena group leader in the legislature, will be handling floor management during the sessions of the legislature. As someone who is known for being clued in about what is happening among the party cadre, Shinde’s inputs are considered important.

Rajya Sabha MP and editor of party mouthpiece Saamana, Raut has played a significant role in forging ties with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Raut will act as the bridge between Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar — the two people who made the alliance a reality. Raut is also expected to maintain relations with different parties in Delhi, and defend Thackeray’s decisions through Saamana.

Over the years, Thackeray’s personal secretary, Narvekar, has emerged as a trouble-shooter for him. From working as Thackeray’s emissary to the Congress leadership to helping ally NCP nab its missing MLAs, Narvekar again proved himself during the recent political crisis. He is expected to handle political management and play a role in implementing Thackeray political strategies, said the Sena leader. As Narvekar has also developed relations with the top brass of the Congress and NCP, he would come in handy to run the government effectively. “Running a coalition government will mean a lot of back-room negotiations. That’s why Uddhavji is picking people with a proven track record in his team,” said a top Sena leader.

Thackeray is also expected to go for a bureaucratic reshuffle and pick a couple of IAS officers who will be handling the CMO.