No end to Ajit vs Sena tussle

Hindustan Times

05-05-2025

The tussle between deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena seems to be unending. It has once again come out in the open following social justice minister and Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat's objection to the diversion of ₹410 crore earmarked for his department for disbursement to beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin scheme. An irked Pawar on Sunday lobbed the ball in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's court, saying it was a cabinet decision and that the latter would speak on the issue.
For the past several weeks, Sena ministers have been complaining in private against the finance department led by Ajit Pawar, saying their files are getting stuck or a lot of queries are raised before clearing them. Finance officials say this is a normal procedure although they are compelled to be stricter about spending considering the state's cash crunch.
It's not just Sena ministers or MLAs, even deputy CM Shinde himself is not very happy with the finance department. A senior Sena minister said they think their proposals or files are put under the microscope more as compared to their colleagues from the two other parties. Significantly, among the decisions that are being relooked at is the previous Shinde government's decision to give ₹26,300 crore contracts for construction of Virar-Alibaug Multimodal Corridor. It had been decided to build the corridor through Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Now questions are being raised over the contracts, which were allegedly given at 30% higher price than the expected cost. It has been suggested that the contracts be scrapped and the construction be done through the build, operate, transfer (BOT) model so that the state government need not bear the entire cost. Incidentally, the MSRDC is headed by Shinde. Officials say the finance department's opinion will be important in this decision. Looks like the Ajitdada-Sena saga that started in the MVA government will continue in the third government too.
That elusive CM's chair
Ajit Pawar once again publicly lamented that he has still not been able to ascend the chief minister's chair. 'For several years, I have been feeling that I should also be chief minister but that has not happened yet,'Ajitdada said in a lighter vein at a function organised by his party to felicitate the past chief ministers of Maharashtra. Referring to remarks by one of the speakers that the state should get its first woman chief minister, Pawar said even he wants to be chief minister and added that he was still hopeful. The maximum applause was reserved for chief minister Fadnavis who insisted that this is his third term in office. 'I do count that 72-hour tenure in which Ajitdada was my deputy. It was during that tenure that the foundation of the current government was built,' he remarked, amid roars of laughter.
Summer sojourn? No, study tour
Three Mahayuti ministers are travelling to Italy to participate in Macfrut 2025, an exhibition organised at Rimini in Italy. It is an international trade fair on fruits and vegetables processing, technology and marketing. Agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, marketing minister Jaykumar Rawal and minister of state for agriculture Ashish Jaiswal are touring Italy from May 4 to 9 'to understand trends in global market and find opportunities for state's agricultural produce at international level and also study the new technology and processes,' according to a GR issued by the government.
The expenditure for the trip would be borne by Balasaheb Thackeray Agricultural Business and Rural Transformation project of the state government which was launched to transform the agriculture sector and livelihoods in the state and assisted by the World Bank.
A pleasant Italian escape from the scorching summer may just be a coincidence.
Fadnavis finally enters Varsha
Four months after he took over as chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis shifted his residence to Varsha, the official bungalow of the CM. There have been speculations why Fadnavis was not shifting from Sagar bungalow in the same area that had been his residence after he took over as opposition leader following the failed experiment to form government with Ajit Pawar in 2019. He continued to stay at Sagar even as he became deputy chief minister in 2023. Officials said there was some necessary renovation at Varsha and he shifted on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on April 30. In the corridors of Mantralaya, there are several superstitions about which offices and bungalows are considered 'lucky' or 'unlucky'. Sagar bungalow is now being regarded as a lucky one since for the second time, its occupant has become the chief minister. Earlier, Ashok Chavan, who was residing at Sagar during his tenure as a minister in Vilasrao Deshmukh led government, was elevated as CM in 2008 following 26/11 terror attack when Deshmukh stepped down.