The official announcement about allocation of portfolios to Maharashtra’s newly sworn in ministers could take more time and might happen by Friday or even Saturday, which would be the concluding day of the six-day Maharashtra assembly winter session, which began in Nagpur on Monday, December 16, sources said here on Wednesday.
Sources said that portfolio allocation of the Maharashtra state cabinet has been completed and that the final approval will be given during the next 24 hours.
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It is learnt that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s list of portfolios and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) list of portfolios are expected to reach Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, CM Fadnavis is expected to give the complete list of portfolio allocation to Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan in two days, sources said.
It may be recalled that shortly after the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, December 15, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself had announced that ministerial portfolio allocation to newly sworn-in ministers would be completed “within the next two to three days”.
Yet, no allocation of ministerial portfolios to newly sworn-in cabinet ministers has taken place even after three days of the winter session of the six-day Maharashtra assembly winter session which began on Monday, December 16, and is scheduled to conclude in Nagpur on Saturday, December 21.
As things stand, all the ministers of the Maharashtra cabinet sworn in on Sunday, December 15, technically continue to remain ministers without portfolio, which is unprecedented in political history.
It is also probably the very first time in the history of Maharashtra and other states of India, when ministerial portfolios of cabinet ministers and even the Chief Minister and Deputy CMs remained unknown even three days after the state cabinet ministers were sworn in.
It is also learnt that the finance portfolio will go to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena will be given the urban development portfolio. There are also indications that the BJP will keep the crucial home and revenue portfolios, sources said.
Sources said that most probably CM Fadnavis himself will head the home ministry, while the excise department which was held by the Eknath-Shinde led Shiv Sena will go to the Ajit Pawar led-NCP, and the housing department held by the BJP will be given to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Sources also said that the finance portfolio will go to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Ajit Pawar himself will retain the important portfolio. The women and child welfare portfolio will be given to Aditi Tatkare who is from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, sources said.
It is learnt that after Eknath Shinde had tried very hard to get portfolios like the home ministry, urban development and revenue, but out of these, the BJP was willing to give only the urban development portfolio to Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
On the other hand, CM Fadnavis ensured that the home portfolio would remain with the BJP under any circumstances. At the same time, there was talk that the revenue portfolio would go to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, but sources have said that the BJP has succeeded in keeping the revenue portfolio as well.
