NCP secures key berths in Maha, Ajit gets finance

ALLOCATION Party has maximum portfolios at 12, besides four junior ministerial posts

MUMBAI: The NCP was on Sunday given key ministries in the Maharashtra cabinet, with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar being given charge of the finance and planning department while his party colleague, Anil Deshmukh, got the home department.

First-time Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, the son of CM Uddhav Thackeray, has been given charge of the environment, tourism and protocol departments. Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat got the revenue ministry. Party insiders, however, said the Congress is wary of the NCP’S dominance.

At 12, the NCP now has the most cabinet portfolios, Sena 11 and the Congress eight. The CM has kept the general administration department, information and technology, and law and judiciary departments with himself. The urban development department has been allocated to the Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde

CONGRESS INSIDERS SAID THE PARTY IS WARY OF NCP’S DOMINANCE AND IS UNHAPPY THAT IT COULD NOT GET ANY PORTFOLIOS LINKED TO RURAL AREAS

MUMBAI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar has got the finance and planning department while party colleague Anil Deshmukh is the state’s new home minister, a senior official said on Sunday.

First-time Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, the son of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, has been given charge of the environment, tourism and protocol departments, he said.

Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat has got the revenue ministry while his party colleague and former CM Ashok Chavan got the Public Works Department, excluding public undertakings, the official added.

NCP’S former leader of opposition in state Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde has got the social justice department while party leader Jitendra Awhad has been given housing.

The NCP has the maximum portfolios at 12, besides four junior ministerial posts. The Sena has 11 cabinet portfolios and four junior ministerial posts and the Congress has eight portfolios and two junior ministerial posts.

“Pawarsaheb has brought this government together, so the NCP’S agenda will get priority. Our support base is in rural areas and we will regain our lost space by strengthening the co-operative sugar and banking sector, besides pushing for rural infrastructure and sops for farmers,” a senior NCP leader said.

There were speculations that either Ajit Pawar or Jayant Patil of the NCP would get the home department, but the portfolio has been allocated to their party colleague Anil Deshmukh, the MLA from Katol in Nagpur district.

The chief minister has kept the general administration department, information and technology, and law and judiciary departments with himself.

The urban development department has been allocated to Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde.

Political analyst Surendra Jondhale said the chief minister was aware that the Sena lacked experienced ministers. “At the end of the day, it will be a government led by Thackeray. The CM knows that the NCP has experienced ministers and he doesn’t. Further, the NCP chief must have convinced him that there is a need for this government to establish rural connect, so departments like co-operation, water resources have gone to the NCP. While the NCP clearly is in a position to do backseat driving, Thackeray seems to have given them these powers, as he doesn’t want to go down in history as having lost out his opportunity to run a government,” said Jondhale.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday approved the list of portfolios as proposed by the chief minister, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson earlier said.

The list of portfolios to be allocated to ministers was sent to the governor on Saturday evening.

Congress insiders, meanwhile, said the party is wary of the NCP’S dominance and is unhappy that it could not get any portfolios linked to rural areas, which may have earned it a certain clout among rural populace.

“We have revenue and PWD, which are important portfolios, but to make an impact in rural constituencies it is good to have a department like rural development or agriculture,” a Congress minister, requesting anonymity.