Maharashtra: Uddhav Expels Ramdas Kadam and Anandrao Adsul From Shiv Sena

Kadam had resigned earlier on Monday and Adsul had resigned earlier this month.

Uddhav Thackeray (left) and Eknath Shinde.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Right after senior Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra Minister Ramdas Kadam resigned from the party, the party sacked him and former MP Anandrao Adsul, on Monday, 18 July.

Kadam and Adsul will reportedly join Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose rebellion triggered the political crisis in Maharashtra last month.

Yogesh Kadam, Ramdas' son, has already crossed over to the Shinde side.

Kadam, who was a Cabinet minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government but was denied a ministerial berth during Uddhav's time, wrote a resignation letter to Thackeray on Monday, claiming that he was insulted in the party.

“Party chief Balasaheb Thackeray had appointed me as Shiv Sena leader. After you (Uddhav Thackeray) became the chief minister, you never took Shiv Sena leaders into confidence. On the contrary, my son MLA Yogesh Ramdas Kadam and I were insulted many times,” Kadam alleged.

Adsul, who was a Sena MP from Amravati till 2019, had resigned from the post of Shiv Sena leader earlier this month.

What Else Did Kadam's Letter Say?

Ramdas Kadam added that Thackeray had asked him not to speak to the media before the 2019 Assembly polls.

He alleged that he had urged Uddhav repeatedly to not form an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress as Bal Thackeray fought against the two parties during his lifetime.

“I told you Balasaheb Thackeray fought with the NCP and the Congress throughout his life to preserve Hinduism… But you did not listen to me at that time. Had Shiv Sena founder (Bal Thackeray) been alive, this situation would not have arisen. So I am resigning from the post of Shiv Sena leader,” Kadam said in the letter.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and PTI.)