Pawar play may win 16 berths

Lead MVA partner Sena may settle for 15 ministries, including the CM

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray may not have yet put out a picture of how his final ministerial composition will look like. However, once the cabinet expansion takes place, the Nationalist Congress Party is set to gain the maximum, in terms of ministerial berths. Of the 43 ministers, NCP, which has lost Assembly Speaker's post to the Congress party during hard negotiations, will get 16 ministerial positions including the deputy chief minister which will be one more than Shiv Sena. The revised power sharing arrangement has been worked out following talks between Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

As per the original deal, Shiv Sena was to get 16 ministerial positions including the CM post, while NCP will get 15 and Congress 12. However, NCP made a strong case that the party with 54 seats was the loser in power-sharing arrangement citing that the deputy chief minister's post is just a symbolic one and pressed for one more ministerial position. Thackeray, who is yet to allocate the portfolios among seven members of his cabinet, including himself, has agreed to to give additional ministerial position to NCP.

With the revised powersharing structure, NCP will have 11 cabinet rank ministers and five ministers of state and Sena 11 cabinet posts including that of CM and 4 ministers of state positions. The Congress, with 44 seats, will get 12 ministerial positions comprising 9 cabinet rank and three ministers of state. Congress MLA Nana Patole was elected to the Speaker's post on Dec 1.

The development comes after NCP chief Sharad Pawar in an interview with TV channels said his party has got the short straw in the Maha Vikas Aghadi deal.

NCP spokesman however, told FPJ, “NCP is quite keen on the stability of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and on the implementation of people oriented programmes. Besides, the party hopes that the government will make all efforts for the betterment of state and its people.''

In the revised power sharing, NCP is set to get crucial portfolios including home, finance, energy, cooperation, public works, higher and technical education while general administration, urban development, schools education, sports and youths, agricultrure and irrigation may go to Shiv Sena.

The Congress party is expected to get revenue and rehabilitation, minorities affair, social justice and women & child welfare.