Eknath Shinde meets Sena lawmakers to assuage concerns over Ajit camp joining Maha govt

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, Sena legislators said.

Shinde, who presided over a meeting of Shiv Sena MLAs, MLCs and MPs on Wednesday, was kept in the loop about the fast-paced 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 said.

A section of Shiv Sena lawmakers had raised certain concerns after the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar joined the one-year-old Shinde-BJP government. The induction of the rebel NCP group in the cabinet has dented the prospects of ministerial aspirants from the 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 day.

A 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 party's organisation, said a party MP. MP said the political developments took place at a rapid pace due to which Sena lawmakers could not be informed about them in advance.

He 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 said.