Setback for Shinde: Denied ministry, Shiv Sena MLA resigns from party posts

In a setback to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena MLA and Vidarbha coordinator Narendra Bhondekar resigned from his party posts on Sunday, hours after the Mahayuti cabinet swearing-in ceremony in Nagpur on Sunday. Bhondekar, a three-term MLA from Bhandara, expressed disappointment over being excluded from the Cabinet and stepped down from his role as coordinator in protest.  

On Sunday, 39 ministers were inducted into the new Maharashtra government. While 33 legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers, six were inducted as ministers of state. The BJP secured 19 berths, Shinde-led Shiv Sena got 11 and Ajit Pawar's NCP was allotted 9 berths.

The Indian Express reported that Bhondekar claimed that he was promised a ministerial berth when he joined the Shiv Sena earlier this year, but the assurance was not fulfilled. "Many people who have taken oaths today have not made any contribution to the party. There are many tainted people against whom there are allegations of corruption, but those people also got ministerial posts," Bhondekar told IE. 

"Our expectations have not been fulfilled, and it makes us all sad. The sentiments of the workers have also been hurt. I am the East Vidarbha coordinator and deputy leader of Shiv Sena, and if I cannot give justice to the people, then why should I remain in these posts,” the Bhandara MLA said.  

Hailing from a farming family, Bhondekar first contested and won the Bhandara Assembly seat in 2009 but lost the election in 2014. In 2019, he contested as an Independent after being denied a Shiv Sena ticket and won. He supported the undivided Sena during the formation of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.  

After the Shiv Sena split in June 2022, Bhondekar was among the first batch of 10 Independent MLAs to back Eknath Shinde's rebellion against Thackeray. In June this year, he formally joined the Shiv Sena and contested the Assembly polls from Bhandara on the party ticket.  

"I joined the Shiv Sena on the condition that I would be given a Cabinet berth,” he said, adding that he regretted not joining the BJP when Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis invited him earlier this year.