As Ajit Pawar attends first Cabinet meet post-rebellion, resentment in Shinde group over NCP swallowing portfolios

the resentment of a section of leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction against Mr. Pawar’s NCP group grew more pronounced as the impending portfolio allocation threatened to snuff out their Ministerial ambitions.

Barely 48 hours after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s rebellion and swearing-in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, the resentment of a section of leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction against Mr. Pawar’s NCP group grew more pronounced as the impending portfolio allocation threatened to snuff out their Ministerial ambitions.

While Mr. Pawar, who attended his first Cabinet meeting after splitting the NCP along with eight other newly-minted NCP Ministers, downplayed any discord between the three parties (BJP, Shinde Sena and Mr. Pawar’s NCP group), Shinde camp spokesperson Bharat Gogawale said the Shinde faction had been “unaware” that Mr. Pawar’s NCP faction would be inducted into the ruling government.

Mr. Gogawale further said that with the coming on board of the NCP, the Eknath Shinde group “had to face reality” and “be satisfied with whatever they now got”.

At a time when the Shinde camp leaders are still awaiting their turn in the long-pending exercise of the second phase of the Maharashtra Cabinet expansion, the alacrity with which the nine NCP leaders, including Mr. Ajit Pawar, were sworn in on Sunday has chagrined many Shinde Sena MLAs.

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Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Ajit Pawar said that the portfolio allocation issue was discussed with Mr. Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and that a decision would soon be taken on the nature of the allocation.

“There is no resentment between the three parties [BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction]. I do not think there will be any impediments in working together. Differences of opinion while distributing Cabinet portfolios arise even when there is only a single party in power… CM Eknath Shinde will take a proper decision on this,” Mr. Ajit Pawar said.