BJP set to bag key portfolios; home up in air
MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has handed over Maharashtra’s chief ministership to Eknath Shinde, has ensured that certain portfolios remain with it, and Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as the deputy chief minister under Shinde on Thursday, has been tasked with safeguarding the party’s interests in the state and in the government, according to people aware of the matter.
Insiders in the state BJP also conceded that until the events played out on Thursday, none of them were aware that Shinde would be the new CM.
“It was a shock for all the state leaders. Until two days ago, we were expecting Fadnavis to be the CM, but the decision appears to have been changed by the central leadership after Thackeray made an appeal to the rebel MLAS and offered them to take over as CM. This was the turning point,” a leader said, asking not to be named.
“The power-sharing formula and pact was finalised by Union home minister Amit Shah. The Eknath Shinde faction is likely to get 15 ministerial berths, while the BJP is expected to get key portfolios like home, finance, agriculture, revenue, PWD, school education, and environment, among others,” the leader added.
By keeping these portfolios, BJP will want to ensure that development-related works are steered by it. In fact, among the first decisions of the government is to keep the roll back Thackeray’s decision building the metro car shed at Aarey, which is a clear indication of the BJP’S imprint.
During the 2014 BJP-SENA government, the junior partner was given 12 portfolios but none of them were the key ones, which led to considerable resentment in the Shiv Sena. This time, Eknath Shinde is in a better bargaining position, said a second BJP leader.
The home department could be the bone of contention between the two camps. Fadnavis
held the department for five years of his government, and had complete command on the police force. It needs to be seen whether Shinde, who recently got former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to reverse the tranasfer of the certain senior police officers from Thane, will agree to give the home portfolio to the BJP.
Among the MLAS in Shinde’s camp, nine were ministers in the MVA government.
Other than Bacchu Kadu who represents a small party, Prahar Jansshakti Party (PJP) and Rajendra Patil Yedraokar, who is an independent, there are seven Sena ministers, including Shinde, among the rebels. “Shinde will have to accommodate all of them in his cabinet apart from inducting a few new faces to avoid discontent. This means he will have to get at least 15 departments, including ministers of state. The Maharashtra cabinet has 43 berths, including the CM. Unlike Uddhav Thackeray who held no portfolio, Shinde is likely to keep the urban development department to himself,” said the second BJP leader
This leader added, that after the floor test and the election of the speaker of the assembly, both Shinde and Fadnavis are expected to meet the BJP’S top leadership in Delhi next week to hammer out the shape and size of the cabinet. “Most of the decisions so far were taken by Delhibased party leaders. Even the power-sharing pact will be finalized by the leaders in consultation with Fadnavis”, he said.
Apart from Fadnavis, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Ashish Shelar, Pravin Darekar, Sanjay Kute, are among those from the BJP who are likely to be made ministers.
The BJP and the Shinde camp are expected to woo some of their leaders with the assurance of their appointments on government-run statutory boards and corporations. They are also expected to be given assurances of their nomination to the legislative council, where more than 13 seats are vacant.