BJP’s enforcer Amit Shah to visit Mumbai, aid cabinet plan after Ganesh darshan

Mumbai: The BJP’s enforcer, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s proposed Mumbai visit on September 05 is expected to provide the impetus to resolve any lingering discord within the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led alliance government with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ party. While Shah’s official schedule seeks to limit the visit to seeking divine blessings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political troubleshooter will likely resolve any residual hassles remaining in the second phase expansion for cabinet inductions of MLAs into the Maharashtra Council of Ministers. During the first expansion (of 18 new ministers on August 08), the BJP high command had given in to compulsions of coalition politics, conceding to not only CM Shinde’s pick of nine new cabinet colleagues but also allowing Dy CM Fadnavis of the BJP a free hand to leverage his political authority over the party in Maharashtra. This was notwithstanding a high command’s initial directive (of limiting new inductions to 13 on August 03) of a lean cabinet in the first go.

A person familiar with the development had then said, “The BJP top leadership had sought a lean team which along with an emphasis on youth, women and untainted MLAs. It had also advised due representation to SC/ ST, other backward castes (OBC) along with urban Gujarati and Marathi candidates, which did not take pace in toto. The backdrop of the political setback suffered in Bihar also played a role in the BJP’s decision to concede to regional imperatives in Maharashtra.” With discontent brewing, predominantly among the remaining 41 MLAs (both rebel Shiv Sena and independents) in CM Shinde’s political formation still to crystalise into a single political entity, meeting expectations of all ministerial aspirants had scuttled the BJP high command’s plans.

“On the other hand, nine new BJP ministers also missed out on directives by the party leadership, especially on aspects of urban representation keeping in mind the forthcoming civic elections across 23 municipalities in Maharashtra. Another big cabinet expansion (taking it to the full strength of 44-odd ministers) may follow during 10 days of the Ganesh Chhaturti festival that begins August 31 . Shah’s visit will help iron out wrinkles remaining over the cabinet expansion plan if, it is not accomplished before his Mumbai visit,” a senior BJP leader said. According to the leader, “All eyes are focused on the Supreme Court hearing before a constitution bench, which is scheduled for Monday, and how the judiciary views the legitimacy of the Eknath Shinde faction that is ruling Maharashtra. On the cabinet front the remaining deficiencies (read: urban, youth and women’s representation) will be resolved. Any existing dissidence of not being accommodated in the cabinet will be neutralized through appointments to state body’s with minister of state rank for the rebel Sena MLAs.”