Narendra Bhondekar, Shiv Sena MLA from Bhandara, has resigned from all party positions, expressing disappointment over his exclusion from the Maharashtra cabinet in the recent expansion. Bhondekar, who previously served as the Shiv Sena’s deputy leader and co-ordinator for eastern Vidarbha, claimed that he had been promised a cabinet berth by the party leadership, but was left out when the cabinet was formed.

Speaking to the press in Bhandara on Sunday, Bhondekar, who won his seat in the November 20 state elections by defeating his Congress rival with a significant margin of over 38,000 votes, expressed his dissatisfaction with the current cabinet expansion. He emphasised that he had hoped to be appointed as the guardian minister of Bhandara district to work on its development, a position that has long been held by outsiders and has, according to him, resulted in stagnation in addressing the district’s issues.