Sena might get union cabinet berth after Operation Tiger

Mumbai: Amid reports that the union cabinet will undergo a reshuffle and expansion, it is learnt that Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena may get a cabinet and an additional minister of state (MoS) berth after the intake of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the party took its Lok Sabha strength to 13.Shiv Sena functionaries said that one of the six defected MPs may get an MoS berth and one of the Sena’s original MPs could get a cabinet berth. At the moment, Prataprao Jadhav, who is MoS of Ayush, is the Sena’s only member in the council of ministers.Among the six rebel MPs, Sanjay Jadhav, who is a three-time MP from Parbhani, could get an MoS berth. A Shiv Sena functionary said that any decision on this will be taken by Shinde and the

BJP

top brass and it was hard to predict who would be picked. He said Prataprao Jadhav could also be replaced by another Sena MP.Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, who is Dy CM Eknath Shinde’s son, or another senior Sena MP could be accommodated in the union cabinet, Sena functionaires said. Shrikant played a key role in Operation Tiger. He is a three-term MP from Kalyan. The functionary said a decision will be taken by Eknath Shinde on merit and there was no lobbying for any ministerial berth.The anticipated

union cabinet reshuffle

is driven by upcoming state elections, organisational restructuring, and the recent resignation of MoS George Kurien.

Sena functionaries said most of the key meetings of Operation Tiger took place in Parliament and were initiated by Shrikant, who met each of the rebel MPs several times over the last six months to bring them on board one by one. Shrikant is said to have initiated first contact with the MPs soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.With Operation Tiger complete and six rebel MPs now with the Sena, it has become a big brother in both Mumbai and

Maharashtra

as far as Lok Sabha MPs are concerned. With Mumbai North East MP Sanjay Dina Patil with the Shinde Sena now, the party has 2 LS members in Mumbai while the BJP has only one MP in Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North.In Maharashtra the BJP has nine MPs. The Sena had seven MPs but with the addition of six UBT MPs, the Sena’s strength goes to 13 LS members, making it the second-largest party in the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra after the Congress, which has 14 MPs from the state.Political observers said this has significantly boosted Shinde’s stature and weight in the NDA. However it is a setback of sorts for the BJP as key Sena (UBT) MPs who defected had fought fierce battles in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls against the BJP. The BJP will now have to vacate space in those constituencies for the Sena MPs, office-bearers and cadre.