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Dnyanesh Jathar
Dnyanesh Jathar

MAHARASHTRA ROUNDUP

In brief: Pankaja Munde's political decline, Amit Shah's visit and more

PTI6_11_2017_000073b BJP president Amit Shah will meet Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on June 18 | PTI (File)

Pankaja Munde's political decline

Senior Maharashtra BJP minister and daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, Pankaja Munde appears to be facing a grim political future. She has lost all elections, municipal as well as cooperative bodies, in her constituency Parli. Her cousin Dhananjay Munde, a senior leader of the NCP and leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, is leaving no stone unturned to decimate Pankaja's political base. Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar, BJP minister and party’s rising star in Latur district, it is said, is doing his bit to help Dhananjay cut Pankaja down to size.

But the biggest blow of them all could be from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis, it is learnt, is not happy with Pankaja’s performance. Earlier, he had stripped Pankaja of water conservation ministry and given the portfolio to Ram Shinde. Now, the CM has decided that the ministry for OBC welfare too will be handled by Ram Shinde. After Gopinath Munde’s death, Pankaja had started making efforts to emerge as the tallest among all OBC leaders. Naturally, she was keen to control OBC welfare ministry. But Fadnavis has now torpedoed her plans.

Win for Aarey Colony

The proposal to construct Mumbai Metro’s Metro Depot Workshop at the densely forested Aarey Colony is being opposed tooth and nail by the green activists in Mumbai. They have a reason to cheer now that Shiv Sena-led Improvements Committee recently rejected the proposal to change the reservation of Aarey Colony’s status as ‘No Development Zone’. Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya immediately took to Twitter to cheer the Shiv Sena-led Improvements Committee. “Mumbai won’t be bullied into giving up Aarey for Metro Depot Workshop, by cutting its trees, when there are other alternatives,” he tweeted. He also did not miss the opportunity to take potshots at the BJP. “While on one hand centre speaks of Paris agreement and our commitment to fighting climate change, locally we damage Aarey forest,” he tweeted additionally.

Questionable comeback

IPS officer R.D. Shinde has managed to return to Mumbai within a month of being transferred out of the city. Just about a month ago, Shinde was sent out of Mumbai as Deputy Inspector General of Police in Anti Naxal Operations wing. He was to be based in Nagpur. Shinde hardly went to Nagpur, claim sources. Instead, he was busy pulling the right strings to make a comeback in Mumbai. It seems he has succeeded too. The Home department yesterday issued a transfer order for Shinde. He is now back in Mumbai as Additional Commissioner of Police (protection and security). Replacing him in Nagpur is IPS officer Ankush Shinde.

Amit Shah to visit Uddhav Thackeray

BJP president Amit Shah will meet Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on June 18. The meeting assumes significance as Shiv Sena has been almost at war with BJP despite being part of Devendra Fadnavis government. Shah will be in Mumbai for three days from June 16. The meeting with Uddhav Thackeray has been fixed at 11 in the morning on Sunday. Sources indicate that the election of President of India will be one of the key points of discussion between Shah and Thackeray as the BJP needs Shiv Sena votes to get its candidate elected as the President of India. Shiv Sena, on the other hand, has been consistently demanding that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat be made the President. Apart from the Presidential election, Shah and Thackeray are also likely to discuss crucial issues like improving ties between the two allies.

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Topics : #Maharashtra

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