Mumbai, Jul 5 (PTI) The induction of the NCP group led by Ajit Pawar in the Maharashtra cabinet has dented the prospects of ministerial aspirants from BJP and Shiv Sena leaving some of them upset and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is aware of this feeling, Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar said on Wednesday.

He claimed the Bharatiya Janta Party has set itself the target to win 350 seats in Lok Sabha elections and Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, is a crucial state for BJP to augment this tally.

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With NCP coming on board, the target of winning 40-42 LS seats from Maharashtra can be achieved. After winning Lok Sabha (elections), the Assembly (polls) can be won easily, the Mumbai North West MP said.

“The scope of ministerial aspirants from BJP and Shiv Sena minimised after NCP joined the government. This has upset some MLAs. The chief minister is aware of this,” Kirtikar, who shifted his loyalties to CM Shinde a few months ago, told PTI.

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Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief minister on Sunday along with eight MLAs who were sworn in as ministers, a development that left the Sharad Pawar-led party shaken.

With the induction of nine ministers from the Ajit Pawar camp, the strength of the Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet has gone up to 29, leaving 14 posts vacant.

It was the second expansion of the state council of ministers after Eknath Shinde took charge of the government along with Devendra Fadnavis last June.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)