Even after three weeks of intense and hectic negotiations and lobbying as well as the intervention of the BJP’s top brass in Delhi, sources said on Saturday evening that the list of Maharashtra’s cabinet ministers and ministers of state is yet to be finalised and will be given “final touches” only by Sunday morning.
Sources also said that lobbying and slugfest for various ministries is still on. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the three parties have agreed on a formula of BJP (21), Shiv Sena (12) and NCP (10) ratio to divide the ministerial portfolio pie.
The BJP is likely to get home, revenue, water resources, rural development, agriculture, social justice and OBC welfare, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena may get urban development, industries, excise, public works, water supply, transport and sanitation. The NCP is likely to get finance, food and civil supplies, housing and co-operation.
The BJP ministerial candidates include Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Girish Mahajan, Pankaja Munde, Chandrashekar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, Rahul Kul, Ganesh Naik and Shivendra Raje Bhosale.
The Shiv Sena list of ministerial candidates include Sanjay Shirsat, Gulabrao Patil, Shambhuraj Desai, Bharat Gogawale, Tanaji Sawant, Nilesh Rane, Ashish Jaiswal.The Pawar-led NCP’s ministerial candidates are Chhagan Bhujbal, Aditi Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde, Anil Patil, Ashish Jaiswal, Dharmarajbaba Atram.
During the swearing in ceremony in Nagpur, around 30 cabinet ministers are expected to be administered the oath of office and secrecy. As far as the total strength of the ministry is concerned, the government can have 43 ministers, which is 15 percent of the total strength of the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister on December 5 along with two Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, by Governor CP Radhakrishnan in Mumbai.