The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has cancelled the appointment of Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant and MLA Ravindra Waikar to key posts with Cabinet rank.
The government had appointed Mr. Waikar as the chief coordinator in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and Mr. Sawant as the head of the State parliamentary coordination committee. The General Administration Department issued government resolutions (GRs) dated February 20 saying that both leaders were unwilling to take up the posts.
Mumbai, 02/04/2019: Shiv Sena candidate from South Mumbai Arvind Sawant campaigning at Chandan wadi area on Tuesday. Photo: Vivek Bendre / The Hindu
As per the GR on Mr. Sawant, he told the State government on February 14 that he did not wish to take up the post. Mr. Waikar, meanwhile, conveyed the same on February 11. No reasons were cited by the either of them.
According to sources, the appointments of both the leaders with ministerial rank could have landed them in trouble as these were offices of profit. As reported by The Hindu last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party was likely to raise the issue during the budget session as the posts awarded to the leaders were neither given the ministerial rank through an Act of the Assembly, nor did either of them take an oath of office.
In a meeting of all MPs from the State on January 27, which was chaired by Mr. Thackeray, it was decided that Mr. Sawant would be appointed as the chairman of the three-member State-level parliamentary committee. The panel was set up to follow up on pending proposals with the Centre.
Mr. Waikar, meanwhile, was appointed chief coordinator in CMO and assigned the responsibility to coordinate with public representatives and the Chief Minister on fast-tracking of projects and fund allocations.
