Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dropped Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s close aide Ajay Ashar from Maharashtra’s equivalent of NITI Aayog called Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), bringing tensions within the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti government to the fore.

Real estate developer Ajay Ashar was originally appointed as one of MITRA’s two deputy chairpersons along with Rajesh Kshirsagar, when Shinde was Maharashtra Chief Minister.

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Yet, according to a recent government resolution, senior Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader and MLA Dilip Walse Patil as well as BJP MLA Rana Jagjitsinh Patil have been appointed as vice chairpersons of MITRA, after dropping Ajay Ashar, even as Rajesh Kshirsagar has been retained in the government body.

Real estate developer Ajay Ashar is a big name in adjoining Thane district and he has been known to be close to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde ever since Shinde used to be in the undivided Shiv Sena. After Shinde became an MLA, Ashar’s closeness with Shinde turned into a close friendship, which ensured that Ashar began getting priority in many important construction projects in and around Thane district, which happens to be Shinde’s stronghold.

Reacting to Ashar’s exit from MITRA, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, “Ajay Ashar is a real estate developer and he is a close aide of Shinde. If Fadnavis has taken this stand, then we welcome it”.

However, CM Devendra Fadnavis refuted allegations that he had been obstructing decisions taken by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. “I am not Uddhav Thackeray to stall ongoing projects,” Fadnavis said, clarifying that the decisions made under the previous Mahayuti government were not solely Eknath Shinde’s but were taken in coordination with both Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis himself.

When asked about why Deputy CM Shinde has been “sulking”, Fadnavis said that Shinde always “looks serious”. “He looked serious even when he was the Chief Minister. Nobody asked such questions then. Now that he is not the CM, people are saying Shinde isn’t smiling and he is sulking. Everyone has a personality. There is no problem. We are together,” the CM said.

CM Fadnavis also blamed the media for “manufacturing” misleading news. “Such news is manufactured. These are coloured and motivated news reports. Everything is going well,” Fadnavis said and expressed confidence that the Mahayuti will contest the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections unitedly and install its mayor in Mumbai.