Disquiet in Shinde camp, BJP as Ajit's group joins Maha govt

MUMBAI: The impending allocation of portfolios and possible reshuffle of departments has triggered disquiet in Maharashtra's three-party ruling coalition with leaders close to chief minister Eknath Shinde openly expressing their concern at former rival Ajit Pawar taking oath as the deputy chief minister and some of his loyalists getting ministerial berths

- Surendra P Gangan and Yogesh Naik

Shiv Sena lawmakers Sanjay Shirsat, Bharat Gogawale and school education minister Deepak Kesarkar questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision to add a new ally and alleged that they were not taken into confidence.

"We had a full majority so where was the need to do this?" asked Shirsat. Gogawale said he was agitated because his politic rival, the Nati alist Congress Party's Aditi Tatkare was sworn in as a minister on Sunday.

"I am the natural claimant for the post of guardian minister of Raigad once I am sworn in as the minister," he said.

But they also struck a conciliatory note.

"What will we achieve by getting angry? We will accept the situation and move forward. Those who were to get one bhakri (bread) will now get half and those who were to get half will now get quarter," Gogawale said.