Shinde makes courtesy call on PM

Maharashtra Deputy CM demands equal share of pie' in current power structure in state

- SUDHIR SURYAWANSHI @ Mumbai

AFTER denial of the home ministry and due space in cabinet expansions, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived in Delhi on Thursday and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Sources close to Shinde said that rather than giving due respect and share in power, his party, which has 61 MLAs, has been squeezed.

Sources in the know said, requesting anonymity: "First, BJP denied Eknath Shinde the top post. Later it refused to concede the home ministry, and now, Shiv Sena is struggling to get the guardian ministry of Thane, Sambhaji Nagar, Nasik, and Kolhapur districts. Therefore, Eknath Shinde's meeting with top leaders of the BJP is very important and crucial. He has an excellent rapport developed in his previous 2.5 years in government. He may have aired and shared the current political situations with the BJP leaders for solutions."