Sena to boycott swearing-in

Only BJP Ministers to be inducted; Sena had hoped for two Cabinet berths

October 30, 2014 07:57 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 07:16 pm IST - MUMBAI:

Maharashtra Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Maharashtra Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The Shiv Sena has decided to boycott the swearing-in of the first Bharatiya Janata Party government of Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

Although 23 short of a majority, the BJP has kept its estranged ally on hold. The Sena was hoping to be included in the Ministry at the swearing-in with at least two Cabinet berths.

However, the BJP made it clear that only its Ministers would be sworn in on Friday. Party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy tweeted, “It seems unlikely that the Shiv Sena will be part of the government as of now.”

“If we are not being treated with respect, why should we attend the oath-taking ceremony?” asked Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut on Thursday.

Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis had telephoned Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to invite him for the ceremony, party sources said.

However, frustration within the Sena is building; a section of the party has demanded that they sit in the Opposition and vote against the trust vote on November 15. The party’s newspaper, Saamna, on Thursday questioned the legitimacy of a minority government.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.