Sonia Deputes Kharge To Soothe Ruffled Feathers In Maharashtra

Congress president Sonia Gandhi deputed party general secretary, Mallikarjun Kharge to smooth ruffled feathers among Congressmen in Maharashtra. The Karnataka veteran will play troubleshooter and attempt to assuage the feelings of many Congress legislators who felt let down after Cabinet formation in the state.

On Wednesday, Vijay Wadettiwar, a minister in Thackeray's cabinet, skipped the special session of the state assembly. Vijay Wadettiwar has been assigned the portfolio of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs), Nomadic Tribes (NT) and Special Backward Classes (SBC) Welfare, Salt Pan Land Development and Earthquake Rehabilitation in the Thackeray ministry.

Vijay Wadettiwar was incidentally, Leader of opposition in the previous government. He had reportedly been eyeing a more 'plum' portfolio. Kharge is set to meet him in order to placate him. The Congress stalwart is also likely to meet other members of his party.

Many Congress legislators are unhappy with the allocation of portfolios with only 12 ministries coming the way of Congress.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress has had a rough start after stitching up a post-poll alliance. It was first reported that senior Sena leader, Sanjay Raut's brother, Sunil Raut was not pleased with exclusion from the Maharashtra cabinet. However, this was denied later by Sanjay Raut.

Later, there were reports of Sena MLA Abdul Sattar resigning from the Shiv Sena led ministry, but the Sillodi legislator later refuted it, calling it as a rumour.