Guardian ministership row deepens rift in Mahayuti

BJP trying to split Sena, create parallel leadership under Uday Samant, allege top MVA leaders

- Surendra P Gangan and Faisal Malik

MUMBAI: While the recent exercise of appointing guardian ministers has exposed the rift between the BJP and Shiv Sena, the tussle within the ruling alliance has been brewing for the last two months and is expected to intensify in the coming days with regard to sharing of statutory boards and corporations.

Within 24 hours of Devendra Fadnavis' releasing the list of guardian ministers, Eknath Shinde forced the chief minister to stay the appointments in two districts. Shinde's ministers Bharat Gogawale and Dada Bhuse have staked a claim to Raigad and Nashik—which were given to NCP minister Aditi Tatkare and senior BJP minister Girish Mahajan—respectively. Fadnavis is expected to take a decision on this after he returns from his Davos tour on January 24.

Meanwhile, Shinde abruptly left for his native place, Dare, leading to speculation that he was sulking yet again.

Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale, in a press conference on Monday, admitted that Shinde and other Shiv Sainiks were unhappy about the guardian minister appointments. "When Shinde was CM, he used to take all the constituents of the Mahayuti along," he said. "We hope the same policy is adopted by Fadnavis."

According to Mahayuti insiders, the Sena's public expression of unhappiness stems from the simmering discontent with events in the past two months. Immediately after taking over as CM, Fadnavis stayed certain decisions taken by the Shinde administration. In December, he changed then education minister Deepak Kesarkar's decision to get a state-appointed agency to supply uniforms to students in government schools, and restored the powers of procuring uniforms to the school management committees.