Disgruntled MLAs from Eknath Shinde's faction are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray group after the recent expansion of the Cabinet in Maharashtra, said former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday.
"Some MLAs are trapped in the Eknath Shinde faction are now contacting us after the Cabinet expansion. Our doors are open for all who want to join us back," Aaditya Thackeray said.
Aaditya Thackeray also gave a challenge to turncoats to tender their resignations and fight elections again.
"All who want to stay there, tender your resignation and face us in elections," he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine MLAs each of the rebel Shiv Sena camp and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is supporting his government.
The Cabinet expansion comes over 40 days after Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in after a rebellion led by the former toppled the Udhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.
After recent political turbulence and with 18 ministers taking oath recently in Maharashtra, the western state's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced the allocation of portfolios to newly-appointed ministers in the state Cabinet with Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis bagging major roles and ministries.
Shinde will look after general administration, urban development, Information and Public Relations, Public Works Department and several other major portfolios not allocated to other ministers.
Fadnavis will hold the portfolios of Home, Finance and Planning, Law and Justice, Water Resources and Command Area Development, Housing, Energy, and Protocol.
Senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil was allotted higher and technical education, textile industry and parliamentary work while Ravindra Chavhan was assigned ministry of Public Works (excluding Public Enterprises), Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection.
Other major departments that were allocated to BJP leaders included Girish Mahajan as chief of Village Development and Panchayati Raj development, Medical Education, Sports and Youth Welfare.
With Suresh Khade leading the Labour department, Mangal Prabhat Lodha became the chief of Tourism, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Women and Child Development.Radhakrishna Vikhe was entrusted with the portfolio of revenue department, animal husbandry and dairy development.
The department of forestry, cultural activities, and fisheries were assigned to Sudhir Mungantiwar.
The allocation of Tribal development was done to Vijaykumar Gavit and the department of Cooperation, Other Backward and Bahujan Welfare was given to Atul Save.
The leaders from Shiv Sena allocated portfolios include Dada Bhuse, Shambhuraje Desai, Sandeepan Bhumre, Uday Samant, Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, Deepak Kesarkar, Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod.
The department of ports and mining was allocated to Dada Bhuse while Shambhuraje Desai was assigned with the state excise department. Sandeepan Bhumre was assigned the department of employment guarantee scheme and Horticulture. With Uday Samant was given the Industries portfolio, Tanaji Sawant was assigned Public Health and Welfare department. The state chief entrusted Abdul Sattar with the Agriculture department and Deepak Kesarkar was allotted with the department of school education and Marathi language.
( With inputs from ANI )
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