Sena MLA Raut rubbishes rumours of quitting seat

Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Raut on Monday rubbished all speculation that he was "unhappy" over being denied a ministerial berth in the party-led Maharashtra government and was planning to quit as legislator.

"These are all fake and misleasing news being spread. Before a legislator, I am a disciplined soldier of the Shiv Sena. There is no better news than the government led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as CM taking power in the state," Sunil Raut said in a statement this evening.

The speculation on Sunil Raut was triggered after his elder brother and Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was not seen at the cabinet expansion by Thackeray here this afternoon.

Party officials dismissed all conjectures on this count and said Raut may have been busy somewhere owing to which he may not have attended the cabinet expansion ceremony.

"On the contrary, the party leadership may have planned something else for him... So where's the question of any dissatisfaction as claimed by some people," said a party official requesting anonymity.

Since this afternoon, there were wild media rumours, in a section of media, that the Raut brothers were very upset and while Sanjay Raut allegedly boycotted the oath-taking ceremony, Sunil Raut was preparing to quit from his legislature seat.

Thackeray himself rejected reports of a so-called rift or displeasure from several quarters including the Sena, saying he has not heard any such thing, after conducting the first full-fledged cabinet meeting this evening.

It was the elder Raut's herculean efforts in October-November that helped cobble up the unprecedented Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress and catapulted Thackeray as the CM, effectively keeping out the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

( With inputs from IANS )