<p>Mumbai: In a setback to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/eknath-shinde">Eknath Shinde</a>, his close aide Ajay Ashar was dropped from MITRA, a state government thinktank on the lines of NITI Aayog.</p>.<p>The move comes amid buzz of tension between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Shinde.</p>.Devendra Fadnavis says Sanjay Raut wants to compete with Salim-Javed, denies 'cold war' with Eknath Shinde.<p>Ashar, a real estate developer who was appointed when Shinde headed the government, was one of the two deputy chairpersons along with Rajesh Kshirsagar of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).</p>.<p>A government resolution dated February 6 informed that senior NCP leader and MLA Dilip Walse Patil and BJP MLA Rana Jagjitsinh Patil have been appointed as vice chairpersons, while Kshirsagar has been retained.</p>.<p>Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut welcomed the state government's move to rejig its thinktank and replace Shinde's aide, which is being seen as a move to curtail the latter's influence.</p>.<p>"Ajay Ashar is a real estate developer and he is a close aide of Shinde. If Devendra ji has taken this stand, then we welcome it," Raut said during the day.</p>.<p>Incidentally, Raut had last week lauded Fadnavis for taking stern steps to instil discipline in governance. </p>
<p>Mumbai: In a setback to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/eknath-shinde">Eknath Shinde</a>, his close aide Ajay Ashar was dropped from MITRA, a state government thinktank on the lines of NITI Aayog.</p>.<p>The move comes amid buzz of tension between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Shinde.</p>.Devendra Fadnavis says Sanjay Raut wants to compete with Salim-Javed, denies 'cold war' with Eknath Shinde.<p>Ashar, a real estate developer who was appointed when Shinde headed the government, was one of the two deputy chairpersons along with Rajesh Kshirsagar of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).</p>.<p>A government resolution dated February 6 informed that senior NCP leader and MLA Dilip Walse Patil and BJP MLA Rana Jagjitsinh Patil have been appointed as vice chairpersons, while Kshirsagar has been retained.</p>.<p>Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut welcomed the state government's move to rejig its thinktank and replace Shinde's aide, which is being seen as a move to curtail the latter's influence.</p>.<p>"Ajay Ashar is a real estate developer and he is a close aide of Shinde. If Devendra ji has taken this stand, then we welcome it," Raut said during the day.</p>.<p>Incidentally, Raut had last week lauded Fadnavis for taking stern steps to instil discipline in governance. </p>