The deadlock over the allocation of portfolios will be resolved in the next 24 hours, sources said. The NCP and the Shiv Sena-BJP have been in a fix over the distribution of portfolios even after 10 days of Ajit Pawar joining the ruling government in Maharashtra. The cabinet expansion will however take place after the monsoon session of the Maharashtra State Assembly. NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders amid a tussle over the allocation of portfolios.
According to sources, within the next 24 hours, the portfolios will be distributed to the Ajit Pawar faction. However, discussion is still on over the Finance and Planning departments which is currently held by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
If sources are to be believed, Ajit Pawar faction can get these portfolios - Finance, Energy / Rural Development, Cooperation, Labor, Minorities, Food and Supplies, Sports and Youth Development, and Women and Child Development.
Marking a vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), its senior leader Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government as deputy chief minister on July 2.
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. Some senior ministers from Shiv Sena should step down from the post of BJP and prepare for the Lok Sabha elections. 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.
'Coordination committee'
In order to placate the unhappy legislators of Shiv Sena and BJP following the joining of NCP, it has been decided that a coordination committee will be formed. There will be 12 leaders from all three parties in this coordination committee - 4 leaders from BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar) and Shiv Sena. While BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ashish Shelar, Prasad Lad, Chandrashekhar Bawankule will be a part, NCP has included Dhananjay Munde, Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare in the committee. From Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena Uday Samant, Shambhuraje Desai, Dada Bhuse, Rahul Shewale will participate.
