Third eye: The elusive Maha Cabinet berth, another hurdle, another jump, Pilot faces turbulence

The elusive Maha Cabinet berth: For the last 2.5 years, Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale was quite keen and hopeful that he would get a ministerial berth after his leader Eknath Shinde split the party and joined hands with BJP to form a government in Maharashtra. Gogawale has been taunted by several Opposition leaders for keeping a well-stitched coat in anticipation of being sworn in as a minister. Not anymore! This week, when asked about a Cabinet berth, Gogawale said since only 10-15 days were left for elections to be announced, he was no longer interested, even if offered.

Another hurdle, another jump: It seems that the season of troubles for Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar is unending. The latest one is about Pawar’s Facebook account, which was apparently following a page with adult content. NCP has clarified that Pawar was not managing the page himself and it was outsourced to a private firm. The employees of the company who followed the page will be taken to task, NCP has said.

Pilot faces turbulence: Congress’ Sachin Pilot has faced multiple hurdles during his election campaign in J&K. On several occasions, his chopper was not allowed to land at rally venues due to “PM’s movement or other issues”. He has also faced a power cut during his press interaction, which was seen as deliberate. Congress insiders allege all these to his popularity among the youth and the sizable Gujjar community in the UT. He has drawn enthusiastic crowds at his rallies.