Eknath Shinde meets Sena lawmakers, assuages their concerns over Ajit Pawar camp

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been working to assuage the concerns of Shiv Sena lawmakers after Nationalist Congress Party NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the coalition government and asserted there was nothing to worry Shiv Sena legislators told news agency PTIEknath Shinde who presided over a meeting of Shiv Sena MLAs MLCs and MPs on Wednesday was kept in the loop about the fastpaced developments in the NCP which culminated in Ajit Pawar taking oath as deputy CM along with eight other ministers on July 2 in a stunning turn of events they saidA section of Shiv Sena lawmakers had raised certain concerns after the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined the oneyearold ShindeBJP governmentThe induction of the rebel NCP group in the cabinet has dented the prospects of ministerial aspirants from the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and the Shiv Sena leaving some of them upset and Shinde is aware of their sentiments Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar said earlier in the dayAmid the changed politician equation Shiv Sena MLAs and MPs on Wednesday night attended a meeting at Shindes official residence Varsha in south MumbaiA lot of issues were discussed in the meeting like the ones pertaining to the monsoon session of Parliament as well as in the state legislature strengthening the partys organisation a Shiv Sena MP told PTIAnother party MP told PTI that Eknath Shinde was asked whether he know about the sudden developments in the NCP to which he responded in the affirmativeThe MP said the political developments took place at a rapid pace due to which Sena lawmakers could not be informed about them in advanceThe chief minister stressed the Ajit Pawarled NCP group joining the ruling alliance will only help the party lawmakers the MP addedHe said there was nothing to worry as the BJP and the Shiv Sena have been in the government for a year now and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joining the government will not affect its functioning in anyway a Shiv Sena MLC told PTILast year more than three dozen Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde had revolted against party president Uddhav Thackeray over his decision to join hands with the the NCP and the Congress which crystallised in formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government in 2019They had also alleged Ajit Pawar who was the finance minister in the erstwhile MVA government did not allocate enough funds for development of their constituenciesEarlier in the day Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar told PTI The scope of ministerial aspirants from the BJP and the Shiv Sena minimised after the NCP rebel faction joined the government This has upset some MLAs The chief minister was aware of thisWith the induction of nine ministers from the Ajit Pawar camp the strength of the ShindeFadnavis cabinet has gone up to 29 leaving 14 posts still vacantOn Tuesday Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLA Sanjay Shirsat indicated there was some uneasiness in a section of the party after the latest political developmentParty Shiv Sena workers and supporters have started asking us how and why did Ajit Pawar and his group join the government They said will it shrink their political space in the state But I can assure you that Ajit Pawar joining the government was inevitable Shirsat told PTIWith inputs from PTI