MUMBAI: If party insiders are to be believed, a cabinet reshuffle or a mid-term poll is likely in Maharashtra soon and most of the existing Shiv Sena ministers will be sent home.
The information came after Sena ministers’ meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis the next day. Though the official statement said that they discussed grievances of MLAs regarding funding for projects proposed, a party insider said a reshuffle is likely soon.
The party insider added, “Uddhavji wants to remove some ministers from the Cabinet. Subhash Desai, Dr
Deepak Sawant and Ramdas Kadam will be sacked and new faces will be inducted. A decision on reshuffle of cabinet will depend on Fadnavis. However, if the BJP is serious about a mid-term poll in October, the reshuffle will not happen.”
A senior Shiv Sena leader said that the MLAs are unhappy with the conduct of their party and they are also disturbed by the BJP’s unstoppable juggernaut. They fear that their political survival is at stake as they don’t get any heal from their own ministers even as the BJP has readied its political machinery to take credit for government schemes.
During the meeting, Thackeray took stock of performance of party ministers, where he also discussed the party’s future in the BJP-led coalition government, sources said, adding that Union minister Arun Jaitley had also asked the Sena leaders if they wanted a mid-term poll in the state, along with Gujarat. “We were shocked with Jaitley’s question and informed about it to party president Thackeray,” the source said.
Thackeray has also discussed possible steps the BJP could take in the future.