In a major development that could make gaps in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance in Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction has secured finance and six other departments in the Cabinet expansion. Cabinet Minister Anil Patil received Relief and Rehabilitation, Disaster Management Department, Aditi Sunil Tatkare - Women and Child Development, Dhananjay Munde received Agriculture and Dilip Walse Patil received Revenue, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development.
Sanjay Bansode will be in charge of the Sports and Youth Welfare and Port portfolios, and Aditi Tatkare will be in charge of the Women and Child Welfare department.
The distribution of the plum finance portfolio to the NCP, would it be a good idea for it to work out, and would be a significant win for Ajit Pawar, who has been campaigning for significant portfolios for his party ministers during meetings with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Additionally, it would be a slap in the face to BJP MLAs who have been reluctant to concede a significant win to their new coalition partner. Mumbles of disappointment among the Fadnavis and Shinde camp lawmakers have been overflowing after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP group turned into a part of the ruling coalition.
As per sources, the delay in the Maharashtra cabinet expansion was credited to a stalemate between Ajit Pawar's camp and the Eknath Shinde group over the money and arranging portfolios. According to additional sources, the Shinde camp is dissatisfied with Pawar's insistence on securing the NCP's finance and cooperative ministries.
This tussle might have been settled in late-night conferences between Shinde, his deputy Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar on July 10-11. NCP working president Praful Patel stated on Wednesday that the issue of portfolio distribution had been resolved and that "the allocation of portfolios will happen in a day or two."
Praful Patel's comments came after he and Ajit Pawar showed up in Delhi for a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and top BJP leaders.
According to sources, senior BJP leaders want that some old ministers should be removed from BJP and Shiv Sena. New faces should be given a chance. Following this, there is resentment among the present ministers of both BJP and Shiv Sena. And owing to these reasons, there is a delay in cabinet expansion or portfolio distribution.
Ajit Pawar and his ministers's portfolios:
- Ajit Pawar - finance department
- Dilip Valse Patil - Co-Operation
- Hassan Mushrif - Department of Minority Affairs
- Dharmarao Atram - Transport
- Chhagan Bhujbal - Agriculture.
- Aditi Tatkare - Women and Child Development
- Dhananjay Munde - Social Justice Department
- Sanjay Bansode - Sports and Youth Welfare. Department
- Anil Patil - Food Supplies Department
Also Read | Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar meets Amit Shah to discuss portfolio allocation, demands finance, say sources
