Nearly two weeks after his shock induction in the Eknath Shinde government as deputy chief minister, NCP leader Ajit Pawar was given the all-important Finance portfolio in the much-awaited Maharashtra cabinet expansion on Friday.
Among eight other NCP MLAs who were sworn as ministers alongside Pawar on July 2, Dilip Walse Patil bagged the Cooperation ministry, which was earlier held by the BJP’s Atul Save. Dhananjay Munde got the Agriculture portfolio, earlier handled by Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s Abdul Sattar. Sattar was instead made minister for Minority Development and Marketing.
The PWD (public sector undertakings) was given to the Shiv Sena’s Dada Bhuse while Soil and Water Conservation to Sanjay Rathod.
Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Rathod was divested of Food and Drug Administration department and given the Soil and Water Conservation ministry. The FDA was allocated to the NCP’s Dharmaraobaba Atram.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis ceded the Finance and Planning ministry to Ajit Pawar. But the senior BJP leader still holds Home, Energy, Water Resources, Law and Judiciary portfolios.
There are now 28 cabinet ministers in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government but no minister of state. The ministry can have a maximum of 43 members.
Here’s a look at the portfolios allocated to the recently inducted NCP leaders:
- Ajit Pawar: Finance and planning department
- Hasan Mushrif: Medical education department
- Chhagan Bhujbal: Food and civil supplies
- Dilip Walse-Patil: Cooperative department.
- Dhananjay Munde: Agriculture
- Dharmarao Atram: Food and drug department
- Aditi Tatkare: Women and Child Development. She was a junior minister in the MVA government.
- Sanjay Bansode: Sports. He was the MoS finance in the MVA government.
- Anil Patil: Relief and rehabilitation department. He is known as the Khandesh strongman.
THE CASTE BALANCE
According to a senior BJP leader in Maharashtra, the allocation of cabinet berths to NCP leaders also gives consideration to the caste balance. Marathas have representation in Dilip Walse-Patil and Anil Patil, who have strongholds in Pune and Jalgaon, respectively. Hasan Mushrif is the minority face, who represents western Maharashtra’s Kagal.
OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has a stronghold over the entire Nashik district, while Munde has a stronghold in Beed. Aditi Tatkare’s family runs the politics of Raigad district. Atram, who comes from Gadchiroli district, represents the Scheduled Tribes (ST). Bansode, who is a Scheduled Caste (SC) leader, comes from Udgir constituency of Marathwada.
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