Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Ajit Pawar gets finance, planning department, Chhagan Bhujbal gets food and civil supplies

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction members have got the finance and six other portfolios in today’s Cabinet expansion, India Today reported on Friday.

Besides finance, the Ajit Pawar faction has secured food and civil supplies, cooperatives, women and child development, agriculture, relief and rehabilitation, and medical education departments.

Now, the Maharashtra Cabinet, which can have a maximum of 43 members, has nine ministers from the BJP, nine from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, and nine from the NCP. The chief minister and two deputy chief ministers are not included in the total count. 

According to news agency ANI, Pawar got finance and planning department, whereas his NCP colleague Chhagan Bhujbal got food and civil supplies department. Anil Patil got relief and rehabilitation, disaster management department, Aditi Sunil Tatkare - women and child development, Dhananjay Munde - agriculture, Dilip Walse Patil gets co-operative department and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil gets revenue, animal husbandry.

The cabinet came two days after senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Wednesday night.

Deputy CM Pawar confirmed that the list of portfolio distribution has been sent to the Governor for approval. CMO officials reportedly reached Raj Bhavan to finalise and submit the list of portfolio distribution to the Governor. Once approved by the Governor, the list of names will be forwarded to the Chief Secretary for further action.

Nine Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs took oath as ministers in the Maharashtra government on July 2. The sudden move led to a split in the Sharad Pawar-led outfit. Maharashtra cabinet expansion was delayed due to a reported standoff between the Ajit Pawar faction and the Shinde faction over portfolio allocation. The tussle was reportedly resolved on July 10-11, another report of India Today said.  

On Thursday Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP has an emotional alliance with the Shiv Sena and a political one with the Nationalist Congress Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party can welcome whoever is willing to join it but the "Congress-like thinking" was unacceptable, he said.

"Our tie-up with the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde is an emotional alliance. The BJP and Sena have been together for more than 25 years. Our alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is a political alliance," Fadnavis said at the 'MahaVijay 2024' workshop of party workers organised at Bhiwandi.

The Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena joined hands with the BJP last year to form a new government in Maharashtra.

(With agency inputs)

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