Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Against the backdrop of the upcoming Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) elections, an internal dispute appears to have arisen between Shinde faction district chief Rajendra Janjal and guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat. Janjal has alleged that the guardian minister holds party meetings without taking him into confidence and deliberately excludes him from these meetings.
Since the split in the Shiv Sena, Janjal has been the city district chief of the Shinde-led Sena. However, for the past few months, disagreements have been visible between Janjal and Shirsat within the party.
As district chief, I am not taken into confidence, and the guardian minister directly conducts meetings with party office-bearers. I am not informed about such meetings. The guardian minister has held four to five meetings without notifying me, Janjal told the scribe. He further alleged that long-time party workers who have been with the party since its inception are being sidelined, and those who have recently joined the party, despite having no assurance of winning elections, are being given prominence in these meetings. Although there were rumours that Janjal was leaning toward the BJP, he denied them.
Sanjay Shirsat responded, saying, “Rajendra Janjal is the district chief. He should do his job. I am carrying out the responsibilities assigned to me by the party. Janjal has been present at all meetings. No meetings have taken place without him.”
Janjal pointed out,“Shirsat sidelines me in internal party meetings. In the past few months, he has held four to five meetings on his own. Even for the recently held meeting to decide who the probable candidates would be, I was not invited. I am not going to join any other party.”