Nearly two weeks after the Maharashtra oath ceremony, the cabinet portfolios were announced Saturday, with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister in the last government, landing three ministries – Urban Development, Housing and Public Works – but not the Home portfolio, which he was reportedly keen on.
Ajit Pawar, the second Deputy Chief Minister, was assigned the key Finance Ministry and State Excise portfolio.
Chief Minister Devenda Fadnavis will hold home, energy excluding renewable energy, law and judiciary, general administration, information and publicity and departments/subjects not allowed to any other minister.
The portfolios were allocated after the weeklong winter session of the state Legislature ended earlier in the day. The strength of the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet is 42 against 43 permissible under the legislative norms.
Hours before the big announcement, state minister Girish Mahajan said that “he believes a unanimous decision has been reached” between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Deputies over portfolio allocation.
The Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won over 230 of the state’s 288 assembly seats, while opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena faction and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction could win only 46 seats.
Mr Fadnavis and his deputies – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15.
Opposition parties alleged that the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature was held only for formality as ministers couldn’t resolve issues of farmers and others in the absence of portfolios.
Taking a swipe at the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, Uddhav Thackeray party leader Aaditya Thackeray today termed the delay in portfolio allocation “a joke”, saying that ministers have gotten their perks but no responsibility.
“All ministers got bungalows and cars but no responsibility. A joke is going on. No one wants to serve,” he told news agency ANI.
Portfolios allocated to BJP ministers are: Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Revenue), Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Water Resources- Krishna and Godavari Valley Development corporation), Chandrakant Patil (Higher and Technical Education, Parliamentary affairs), Girish Mahajan (Water Resources- Vidarbha , Tapi, Konkan Development Corporation and Disaster Management).
Ganesh Naik has been given Forests, Mangal Prabhat Lodha Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Jaykumar Raval Marketing and Protocol, Pankaja Munde Environment and Climate Change, Animal Husbandry; Atul Save OBC Welfare, Dairy Development and Renewable Energy.
Ashok Uike has been given Tribal Development, Ashish Shelar Cultural Affairs and Information Technology, Shivendrasinh Bhosale Public Works.
Jaykumar Gore has been given Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Sanjay Savkare Textiles, Nitesh Rane Fisheries and Ports, Akash Fundkar Labour.
Shiv Sena Ministers’ portfolios: Gulabrao Patil Water Supply and Sanitation, Dadaji Bhuse School Education, Sanjay Rathod Soil and Water Conservation, Uday Samant Industries and Marathi language, Shambhuraj Desai Tourism, Mining, Ex-servicemen Welfare, Sanjay Shirsat Social Justice, Pratap Sarnaik Transport, Bharat Gogawale Employment Guarantee, Horticulture, Salt Pan Lands Development; Prakash Abitkar Public Health and Family Welfare.
NCP ministers’ portfolios: Hasan Mushrif Medical Education, Dhananjay Munde Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Dattatrey Bharne Sports ,Youth welfare and Minority Development and Aukaf, Aditi Tatkare Women and Child Development , Manikrao Kokate Agriculture.
Narhari Zirwal has been given Food and Drug Administration, Special assistance. Makrand Patil has been given Relief and Rehabilitation, while Babasaheb Patil was allocated Cooperation.