MUMBAI: Thirty-nine legislators from MahaYuti allies were sworn in the first cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government on December 15, but the ministers are functioning without portfolios. Sources said portfolios will be distributed among the alliance partners – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP – on the basis of the previous government’s allocation formula with some changes.
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will retain the home ministry plus the BJP will also keep the revenue ministry. Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde will be given the urban development ministry, besides the public works department, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar will be given finance plus agriculture ministry and other portfolios to his party ministers,” said a source privy to the development.
A senior BJP leader said the three MahaYuti leaders -- Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar -- had a series of meetings over portfolio allocations and an announcement will be made soon. Fadnavis on Wednesday launched the home department website in an indication that he wants to keep the ministry for which the Shiv Sena was also bargaining.
Sources said Pawar is upset over delay in declaration of portfolios. “Ajit Pawar is keen to get the finance ministry plus he wants the guardian minister of Pune district. However, the BJP has asked him to opt for one. Senior BJP leader and minister Chandrakant Patil is keen to be guardian minister of Pune district. Pune is a very important district for the BJP that opens the door to western Maharashtra,” a senior BJP leader said.
One of the ministers said they took oath on the first day of the assembly session in Nagpur, but they are yet to get the responsibilities. “With a massive mandate, we expected that things will be clear and easy, but it is getting more messy day by day. The leaders of all three parties need to sort out the mess, otherwise it will send a wrong message to people. It will be nearly a month after the declaration of assembly election results, but things are not in place yet,” he said.
In the first cabinet expansion, 10 ministers in the previous Mahayuti government were dropped, while 16 new faces were inducted. The BJP secured 19 ministerial berths, Shinde-led Shiv Sena got 11 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP nine.