Maharashtra: CM Eknath Shinde Makes Key Appointments Amid Tensions With Mahayuti Partners

Notwithstanding the reactions from the Mahayuti partners, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed his party's Rajya Sabha member Milind Deora, MLA Sada Sarvankar and others to the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) for the Mumbai city district on Thursday.

In the first round, CM appointed his party MLA Sanjay Shirsat as the chairman of the CIDCO with the rank of a minister, gave a rank of the minister to former MP Hemant Patil and appointed former MP Anandrao Adsul as the chairman of the SC, ST commission.

The appointment did not go down well with DyCM Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The third partner in Mahayuti is said to be unhappy with it as none from their party was considered for the appointments. Even the BJP has not nominated anybody on any of the influential state boards or corporations.

Swachhata Hi Seva: CM Eknath Shinde Launches 16-Day Cleanliness Drive In Maharashtra Ahead Of Gandhi Jayanti; See Photos Inside

Apart from Deora and Sarvankar, former MLC Manisha Kayande, Shriram Raorane, Gopal Dalvi, Meena Kambli, Datta Narvankar, Siddharth Kasare, Siddarth Gamre, Shalaka Salvi, Satish Tiwari and Jitendra Sonavane have also been nominated from different categories.

The appointments assume significance given the limited presence of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the island city compared to the well-established network of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. This move can also be seen as Shinde's attempt to make inroads, as his loyal members will be better positioned to influence the nomination of various developmental projects in Mumbai City.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Welcomes Union Cabinet's Nod To 'One Nation, One Election', Says It Will 'Save Time & Money'

Significantly, the sizable presence of Shinde's members will create trouble for the Shiv Sena (UBT), whose members on the DPDC will be in the minority compared to Shinde's 12 members. The Sena (UBT) currently has only three members on DPDC: South Mumbai MP Arvind Sawant, Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray and Shivadi MLA Ajay Choudhari.