Shiv Sena minister Abdul Sattar resigns from Udhhav Thackeray government.

Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar has resigned from the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, according to Loksatta. The reported resignation came five days after he was inducted into CM Uddhav Thackeray’s Council of Ministers. Sattar was among the four Muslim leaders who took oath as Ministers on December 30 when Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray undertook the exercise to expand his Cabinet. Besides Sattar, three Muslim leaders who were sworn in as ministers are NCP’s Nawab Malik and Hasan Mushrif and Congress’ Aslam Shaikh.

Shiv Sena denies

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI today that he had no information of the resignation by Sattar. He also said that there were no differences in the Cabinet. “If some minister resigns then normally resignation is sent to CM or Raj Bhawan, but both have no information about it yet,” Raut said.

Loksatta also reported Sena leader Arjun Khotkar as saying that the report of resignation by Abdul Sattar are mere rumours.

Khotkar told ANI, “There is no question of Abdul Sattar tendering his resignation. These rumours are baseless. Sattar Sahab will meet CM Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow.”

Reacting on reports that Abdul Sattar is unhappy and resigned as Maharashtra minister, his son Sameer Sattar, told ANI: “I have no information about this, only he can speak on it and I am sure he will speak soon, better to wait and watch.”

Soon after Sattar was inducted into the government, BJP had questioned Uddhav’s decision. Senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray used to say that Sattar was close to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. “Now his son (Uddhav) made him a minister,” he had said.

The three-time MLA from the Sillod constituency was briefly a minister in 2014 in the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra. Just ahead of the Assembly elections in 2019, he left the Congress and joined the Shiv Sena.