Mumbai: Fissures within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti came out in the open once again Wednesday as a department led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed an official for a vacant post, while another led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed another official for the same post. Eventually, the appointment made by Fadnavis’ general administration department prevailed.
After hours of confusion over the post of general manager of (BEST) Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport, IAS officer Asheesh Sharma was given charge.
Earlier, Fadnavis’ general administration department and Shinde’s urban development department had issued separate government resolutions with two different names for the post on the same day (Tuesday).
The general administration department (GAD) stated that officer Asheesh Sharma, who is currently the Commissioner of Goods and Services Taxes (GST), Maharashtra, would be appointed as BEST general manager while the urban development department stated in its resolution that IAS officer Dr Ashwini Joshi would take over the role.
“Previous general manager (SVR) Srinivas retired on 31 July and as an interim arrangement, BMC’s (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) additional municipal commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi was handling the department. But on 6 August, Sharma sir was appointed and he accepted the role as well,” BEST public relations officer Sudas Sawant told ThePrint.
Regarding the confusion over the appointment, Fadnavis told the media Wednesday that it was the BMC that was responsible for such appointments and he had nothing to do with it.
Shinde, while speaking to the media, refused to comment on the issue. “Why are you asking me this? Ask me anything on national issues,” he said.
The opposition, however, targeted the government over its apparent lack of coordination and a possible cold war between Fadnavis and Shinde.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar posted on X both the government resolutions dated 5 August and said: “This seems to be a race between CM Fadnavis and his deputy Shinde to place ‘their own’ person in the position. By giving the additional charge of a single post to two officers, the tug of war within the Mahayuti alliance has come out in the open.”
His Maha Vikas Aghadi colleague Aaditya Thackeray called it a “dead coordination” between the CM and his deputy.
“Shouldn’t the DCM (deputy CM) have first consulted with the CM? Shouldn’t the GAD be issuing these orders? Why should our state suffer in this ego war? Imagine the basic coordination between these is SO dead,” he wrote on X.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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