Excluded from cabinet, Shiv Sena MLA quits all party posts
What's the story
Narendra Bhondekar, a three-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Eknath Shinde's faction of the Shiv Sena, has resigned from all party posts.
The decision came after the deputy leader of the party was left out of a cabinet berth in the expansion under Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
However, Bhondekar remains an MLA for the Bhandara-Pavani Assembly Constituency and hasn't vacated his assembly seat.
Unanswered outreach
Bhondekar's resignation follows unfulfilled ministerial promise
Bhondekar's resignation was reportedly triggered by an unfulfilled promise of a ministerial position.
He had attempted to reach out to party leaders Shinde, Uday Samant, and Shrikant Shinde through text messages but went unanswered.
The cabinet expansion on Saturday saw 39 MLAs sworn in at Nagpur, filling all 42 cabinet berths when Fadnavis and his two deputies are included.
Ministerial discontent
Discontent among party members over cabinet berths
Bhondekar's resignation isn't the only indication of discontent in the party ranks.
Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athavale also expressed disappointment over his party not getting a ministry and plans to discuss it with Amit Shah and JP Nadda.
Similarly, NCP's Chaggan Bhujbal was missing at the pre-oath ceremony gathering as he was left out of the cabinet, while Deepak Kesarkar, the primary education minister in Shinde's government, skipped the event.
Election outcome
Cabinet expansion and election results
The BJP got 19 ministerial positions as the largest party among partners, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP were awarded 11 and 9 berths, respectively.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which comprises Shiv Sena, won a landslide victory in the recent assembly elections.
In the recent legislative assembly elections, the BJP won the most seats (132), while the Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.