Upset over not getting a ministerial berth, Shiv Sena spokesperson and senior leader Neelam Gorhe attended the winter session of Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, three days after the session started.
Sources said Gorhe was upset as she was not chosen among the first set of leader who were sworn in ahead of the winter session. Gorhe, an articulate leader, is known as one of the smartest spokespersons of the Sena. She could have been the lone woman representative from the Shiv Sena, which got five cabinet ministers and seven ministers of state in the deal with the BJP a few days before the assembly session started.
Insiders said that several Sena leaders were against Gorhe and that they must have played a role in ensuring that she didn't become a minister. However, all is not lost for Gorhe as there are still two portfolios to be allotted to the Sena in the second round of expansion.
Explaining her absence, Gorhe said her mother was unwell and that she was needed by her side. She also made it clear that there was no question of unhappiness. "We are Sainiks and we are used to taking up happily whatever job party assigns to us. There is no question of my getting upset over not getting ministership... My mother was feeling uneasiness and she had to be shifted to the Breach Candy Hospital for treatment. I had informed my leaders about my absence," Gorhe said.
It's not just Gorhe, several Sena MLAs are upset because, they feel, all cabinet ranks and other plum posts are being taken up by those leaders who have lost the elections but have been nominated as members of the legislative council.
If sources are to be believed, many Sena leaders, who have worked their way up from the grass roots-level, have almost made up their mind to switch parties, if they are not rewarded by the Sena. "A handful of leaders pressured the party and ensured power for themselves. We have been left out without any appreciation," said a Sena leader, hinting that the party may lose some wickets in the near future.
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