Maharashtra
Shinde-Fadnavis meet ahead of Maharashtra cabinet expansion
Mumbai/IBNS: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting late night on Thursday ahead of the Maharashtra cabinet expansion, media reports said.
The two have reportedly discussed power sharing after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar defected from his party along with some legislators and joined the government.
The dynamics of the Maharashtra politics altered last Sunday after Ajit took oath as the second Deputy Chief Minister in the Shinde government.
The talks between Shinde and Fadnavis took place amid reports that the Shiv Sena MLAs were unhappy with Ajit's entry into the government.
It is important to note that Shinde too became the Chief Minister after defecting from the erstwhile party, Shiv Sena, with his loyalist MLAs.
On Monday, the battle for supremacy over the NCP intensified after its chief Sharad Pawar started taking action against his nephew Ajit Pawar and his associates, while on the other hand, the latter removed the old timers from the post.
It started when Pawar Senior expelled Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare from the party and some time later, the Ajit Pawar faction removed Jayant Patil from the post of NCP state president and appointed Sunil Tatkare in his place.
After Sharad Pawar's action, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel announced that Sunil Tatkare would be the new state president of the party.
However, Sharad Pawar has hit back saying the 'symbol won't go anywhere'.
Both factions of the NCP held separate meetings on Wednesday each showcasing the strength.
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