Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
While the post of deputy mayor slipped away, guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat failed to secure the group leadership position for his supporters in the municipal corporation. On Monday in Mumbai, deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde issued orders to appoint corporator Kishor Nagre, a supporter of MLA Pradeep Jaiswal, to the group leadership post. This decision sparked discussions in political circles that minister Shirsat had suffered another setback.
Since the municipal elections, a hidden conflict has been ongoing within the Shinde faction: minister Shirsat versus MLA Jaiswal and deputy mayor Rajendra Janjal. After it was decided that the deputy mayor post would go to the Shinde faction, Shirsat held a separate meeting with the nine corporators in his group to prepare candidates. Meanwhile, the party directed that Rajendra Janjal from Jaiswal’s group be appointed deputy mayor. Notably, this decision was taken without consulting the guardian minister. Later, Janjal claimed that Shirsat had intended to appoint his daughter Harshada to the deputy mayor post.
For the group leadership position, Shirsat had proposed former mayor Tryambak Tupe. He had held a meeting with his supporting corporators and informed the divisional commissioner. However, MLA Jaiswal and Janjal opposed Tupe’s nomination.
Meanwhile, on February 16, deputy CM organised a felicitation event in Mumbai for all municipal corporators as well as zilla parishad and panchayat samiti members of the party. Present at the event were all Shinde faction corporators from the city, guardian minister, MP Sandipan Bhumre, MLAs Vilas Bhumre and Ramesh Bornare, party liaison Vilas Parkar, and others. At the event, Janjal proposed Kishor Nagre for the group leadership post, and deputy CM Shinde approved the nomination.
Guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat said, "For the Shinde faction group leadership in the municipal corporation, MLA Jaiswal and deputy mayor Janjal recommended the name of corporator Kishor Nagre. We did not oppose Nagre’s nomination either. Deputy CM Shinde has given his approval to this name."