Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in race for cabinet berth

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, May 25

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who is in Delhi to attend the National Democratic Alliance’s meeting in New Delhi, is expected to make a pitch for berths in the Narendra Modi cabinet, party sources said here on Saturday.

Party leaders in Maharashtra have advised Thackeray to pitch for at least three berths including one as Minister of State. Grassroot-level
party workers want Sanjay Raut, its Rajya Sabha MP and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, in the cabinet as well.

In his first government, Modi had offered the light-weight portfolio of Heavy Industries to Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Anant Geete. The party's attempts to get more important portfolios were fruitless and Saamna kept on a shrill attack on Modi.

Geete however lost the Lok Sabha elections to NCP's Sunil Tatkare.

The Shiv Sena won 18 of the 48 LS seats in Maharashtra, the same as last time.

"Shiv Sena is the oldest ally of the BJP in the NDA and the party should get due respect," a Shiv Sena leader said here in Mumbai.

The party mouthpiece Saamna also acknowledged that the BJP was the big brother in the alliance "at the national level". Leaving unsaid was
the Shiv Sena's demand that it be given seniority in the alliance in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile buoyed by the victory, BJP leaders in Maharashtra feel that Modi may not bow down to Thackeray's demands since the party has won more seats in the Lok Sabha than in 2014.

BJP leaders in the state are also sharply critical of Raut for Saamna's hardline stand till a few months before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.