In the Maharashtra Cabinet expansion on Friday, some of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government along with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were allocated portfolios. While Pawar received the powerful finance and planning portfolio, Chhagan Bhujbal received food and civil supplies.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis holds the powerful home department portfolio. The finance portfolio, which Pawar now holds, was also with Fadnavis.
The Cabinet expansion also saw an internal Cabinet rejig as several ministers, including CM Shinde, were divested of their portfolios and several portfolios were shuffled between Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers.
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Earlier this month, Pawar along with eight NCP leaders joined the Shinde-led Maharashtra government, effectively splitting the NCP into two factions.
The following portfolios have been allocated to the NCP ministers:
- Ajit Pawar : Finance and Planning
- Chhagan Bhujbal : Food and civil supplies
- Dilip Walse Patil : Cooperation
- Dhananjay Munde: Agriculture
- Aditi Tatkare : Women and child development
- RV Patil : Revenue, animal husbandry
- Anil Patil. : Relief, rehab, disaster management
- Hasan Mushrif : Medical education
The PTI reported that Pawar getting the finance portfolio is significant as there was a resistance over the move among Sena MLAs.
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"Ajit Pawar getting the finance portfolio is significant as there was stiff opposition to it from Shiv Sena MLAs led by Bharat Gogawale and Prahar party legislator Bachchu Kadu, who claimed that the NCP leader had blocked funds for them when he was finance minister in the MVA government and was responsible for their rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership," reported PTI.
Shinde himself gave up five ministries of PWD (public sector undertakings), Marketing, Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation, Soil and Water Conservation and Minority Development. Not all portfolios that Shinde and others were divested off went to NCP leaders as portfolios were also adjusted among the BJP and Sena ministers.
"The PWD (public sector undertakings) was given to the Shiv Sena's Dada Bhuse while Soil and Water Conservation to Sanjay Rathod. Abdul Sattar, who lost the agriculture ministry to the NCP's Dhananjay Munde, was made minister for Minority Development and Marketing...Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Rathod was divested of Food and Drug Administration department and given the Soil and Water Conservation ministry. The FDA was allocated to the NCP's Dharmaraobaba Atram," reported PTI.
Earlier on Thursday, Maharashtra minister and Sena leader Uday Samant said a coordination committee would coordinate the allocation of portfolios, according to ANI. Sawant said the panel would have four members each from Sena, BJP, and NCP.
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Despite the buzz that ministers of state could also be inducted, no minister of state was inducted on Friday. The PTI reported that the Sena-BJP-NCP government currently has 28 ministers against the limit of 43.
