The Shiv Sena on Saturday denied that its lone Muslim MLA, Abdul Sattar, had quit his Cabinet post in Maharashtra, the Hindustan Times reported. A party leader said Sattar will instead meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday.
“Sattar has not tendered his resignation,” Shiv Sena leader Arjun Khotkar said. “These are rumours. He will meet Uddhav ji tomorrow afternoon at Matoshree [Thackeray’s residence].” Sattar also spoke via telephone with senior Shiv Sena leader and minister Eknath Shinde, the newspaper said.
Sena leader Sanjay Raut said he had no information about Sattar’s resignation. “The Sena does not have many portfolios in its quota and therefore everybody has to adjust,” he said. “According to me, the chief minister has given respect to Abdul Sattar ji and made him a minister.”
Raut said that those who are not originally from the Shiv Sena will take time to adjust to the system. Sattar, an MLA from Aurangabad’s Sillod constituency, had jumped ship from the Congress to the Shiv Sena before the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
On December 31, 36 leaders of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party were sworn in as Cabinet ministers, taking the total strength of the Cabinet to the maximum of 43. Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar, the chief minister’s son Aaditya Thackeray, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, and former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son Amit Deshmukh were among the well-known public figures who took oath.
Earlier on Saturday, Nationalist Congress Party Spokesperson Nawab Malik said portfolio allocation will be done by Monday, and denied rumours that some Congress leaders had held up the distribution.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire lashed out against Sattar, calling him a “traitor”, the Maharashtra Times reported. Khaire requested Thackeray to throw Sattar out of the party and “not allow him to climb the steps of Matoshree”.
Khaire is said to be upset about the results to the chairperson’s post in the Aurangabad Zilla Parishad elections, the newspaper reported. While the Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party captured the chairperson’s post, a BJP leader won the post of deputy chairperson. According to Khaire, Sattar is upset about the Congress’ decision to support the Shiv Sena in the elections, ANI reported.
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