Amidst the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra concerning Sena leader and Minister Eknath Shinde, a high-level political source told The Indian Express that Sharad Pawar had warned Uddhav Thackeray about growing anxiety within the Shiv Sena and the MVA coalition and hinted at a possible revolt.
"Sharad Pawar had warned Uddhav Thackeray at least four to five months ago and had advised him to start meeting his party leaders and other ministers of the MVA," the source told the publication. "He had even warned Thackeray of a possible revolt but Uddhav didn’t pay much attention to it." Pawar had reportedly sensed the growing resentment among the Sena leaders over the "inaccessibility" of CM Uddhav Thackeray.
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The source said that even Pawar did not get an appointment to meet Uddhav on certain occasions. "Pawar was upset with the inaccessibility of the CM who was not sparing time to meet political leaders across parties," he said.
Another source expressed similar sentiments. "Even a few MVA MLAs had told Pawar that the CM hadn't heard them and it was tough to speak to Uddhav," the source said. "They felt isolated and unwanted in the government."
It has also been revealed that Congress leaders were disappointed with the CM's failure to hold regular consultations. "At times, our Cabinet ministers required the CM's intervention on certain projects or policies," a Congress leader told IE. "But getting an appointment from the CMO was next to impossible."
Smaller parties and independent candidates expressed similar views. "I made 45 calls to the CMO but there was no response," said an MLA whose party supports the MVA coalition.