3 min readPuneJul 15, 2026 11:48 PM IST
First published on: Jul 15, 2026 at 01:22 PM IST
As Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday and is learnt to have pressed for two additional ministerial berths for the Shiv Sena, Maval MP Shrirang Barne was quick to claim that he was among the frontrunners for a place in the Union Cabinet.
“I am hoping to get an opportunity to become a Union Minister in the Modi government, at least this time,” Barne told The Indian Express.
Barne said he is the senior most Lok Sabha MP from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. “I have been elected to the Lok Sabha from Maval on a Shiv Sena ticket for three consecutive terms, but I have never got the opportunity to become a Union Minister. I hope our party chief Eknath Shinde will do justice to me,” he said.
The Shiv Sena currently has one representative in the Union Council of Ministers — Prataprao Jadhav, who holds the portfolios of AYUSH and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Amid speculation over an impending Cabinet reshuffle, Sena leaders are hopeful the party will secure one Cabinet berth and one Minister of State position.
According to party sources, Shinde has sought two additional berths, particularly to accommodate MPs who recently defected from Shiv Sena (UBT). They include Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav (Parbhani) and Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure (Shirdi).
“One of the six is likely to be inducted. A ministerial berth was among the assurances given when they joined us,” a Sena leader said.
Sources said Shinde is keen on securing a Cabinet berth for his son, Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde. For the second berth, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar is said to be among the frontrunners.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Shrikant Shinde dismissed speculation over a Cabinet reshuffle, saying discussions based on “ifs and buts” are common in politics. A Sena leader, however, claimed that “even the BJP is in favour of Shrikant Shinde becoming a Cabinet minister.”
Besides Shrikant Shinde and Nimbalkar, Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav is also being considered for a ministerial berth, sources said.
Barne said he had never lobbied for a ministerial post despite winning three successive Lok Sabha elections. “Every election I fought was challenging. One of my biggest victories was against Parth Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar. The entire Pawar family campaigned for him, yet I won by a margin of over two lakh votes,” he said.
Asked what he would do if he was overlooked again, Barne said, “It is the prerogative of our leader Eknath Shinde to decide who gets a ministerial berth. I have got nothing in the past, so I hope I receive justice this time.”
Barne began his political career with the Congress, serving as a corporator and later heading the party’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit. He joined the undivided Shiv Sena in 2014 under Uddhav Thackeray and has represented Maval in the Lok Sabha since then, winning in 2014, 2019 and 2024.
Party sources said Shinde’s meeting with Shah also covered a range of development issues in addition to the likely Union Cabinet expansion.
Three-time Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne has expressed hope of joining the Modi government as Eknath Shinde pushes for additional ministerial positions. (File photo). 
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