Sidelined in govt, Shinde turned against Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena minister and Thane strong man Eknath Shinde, who is leading a revolt against the leadership, never made his reservations about the MVA government public nor let his discontentment show in the last 2-3 years. However, insiders said he had spoken his mind with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, expressing his frustration over the coalition's style of governance and its shortcomings.

- Chaitanya Marpakwar

Mumbai: Shinde who handled the key departments of Urban Development and public undertakings, had seen trouble brewing for the coalition over the last few months. The debacle in the Rajya Sabha and MLC polls confirmed his fears.

"It was clear that in the RS polls, other parties and independents also tacitly supported the BJP. So it was a matter of who would take the plunge first. After the MLC polls, it became clear that the government was in minority, so this step had to be taken," said a Sena functionary close to him.