Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday played down his exclusion from the Maharashtra Cabinet, by saying that he was not upset at all for not failing to make it into the Devendra Fadnavisp-led ministerial team and said that he would take up any assignment whatever his party wanted him to.

A day after he was denied a ministerial berth, Mungantiwar said: “I am not upset.  “I will do whatever work the party assigns me…I do all the work with full sincerity,” Mungantiwar said.

However, he said that the party told him that he would be given a ministerial job. “I was never told that I would not be made a minister,” he said.

Mungantiwar said that neither Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor state BJP President Chandrashekar Bawankule had told him that he would not be made minister. "On the contrary, I was told that my name has been sent to BJP high command)."

In fact, Mungantiwar wss number two from his party in the Devendra Fadnavis government. However, from 2022-24, he was made the Forest portfolio and Cultural Affairs ministry. “Whatever was given to me, I have given my full,” he told a TV channel.

It may be recalled that Mungantiwar, popularly known as Sudhir Bhau, contested the Chandrapur Lok Sabha seat. He however lost the LS polls  However, he contested the State Assembly  polls.

Queried as to why he had not been inducted in the state Cabinet, Mungantiwar said: “I cannot answer this question…”

Mungantiwar handled the Finance and Planning and Forest portfolio from 2014-19. However, from 2022-24, he was given the Forest portfolio and Cultural Affairs ministry..

It may be mentioned that Mungantiwar, popularly known as Sudhir Bhau, was asked to contest the Chandrapur Lok Sabha seat, however, he lost. Thereafter, he won the State Assembly polls from Ballapur in Chandrapur district of eastern Maharashtra..

Mungantiwar said that neither Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor state BJP President Chandrashekar Bawankule gave him any idea that he would not be made minister. "On the contrary, I was told that my name has been sent to the BJP high command".