Had limited choice: Raut on no ministries to some Sena seniors

Amid speculation that some senior Shiv Sena leaders were unhappy after not being inducted in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra council of ministers, party MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Sena had a "limited choice" in the three-party alliance government.

Raut, who is the executive editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', told PTI that they had to accommodate allies who supported the Thackeray-led party after the state Assembly poll results were announced on October 24.

"We had to give a chance to new faces as well," the Rajya Sabha member said.

The Shiv Sena did not include its leaders like Ramdas Kadam, Diwakar Raote, Ravindra Waikar, Deepak Kesarkar and Tanaji Sawant in the new council of ministers during expansion on Monday.

Raut skipped the much-awaited ministry expansion ceremony on Monday. His absence was attributed to his brother Sunil Raut, a Sena MLA, not getting a ministerial berth.

Asked why he stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony, Raut on Tuesday said, "I was at the 'Saamana' office doing my job."