Shrikant Shinde, the Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan Lok Sabha seat and son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has decided not to join the Narendra Modi-led government. The decision comes as a surprise as Shinde was widely expected to be included in the Cabinet.
In an interview with PTI, Shinde stated that his focus is on strengthening the party at the grassroots level. He emphasized that the party’s workers need justice, a task being handled by his father, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“I believe that ours is a party of workers, and the job of giving justice to them is being done by CM Eknath Shinde here,” said Shinde. “I have to work towards strengthening the party at the ground level.”
Shinde’s decision comes despite demands from party workers for him to become a minister. He defeated Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate Vaishali Darekar in the Kalyan constituency by over 2 lakh votes.
On Saturday, Shinde had said that he was not interested in becoming a minister at the Centre. The Sena MP added that several other MPs who worked for the party for years should be given the opportunity.
In the Lok Sabha elections, apart from Kalyan, the Shiv Sena, which fought the elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NCP (Ajit Pawar), won seven seats – Buldhana, Aurangabad, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North West, Maval, Hatkanangale. The party had contested 15 seats. The BJP bagged nine seats, while another ally Ajit Pawar-led NCP won a seat.
After the BJP’s poor performance in the state, the Shiv Sena leader whose party is part of the NDA, had said that certain situations come up sometimes but it is not permanent.
“In the coming times, the situation will change. We will perform better… We will analyze the mistakes we made and win strongly the next time,” Shinde told PTI.
The swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers will take place on Sunday. Industrialists, celebrities, and other dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony.
