No consensus on Maharashtra Cabinet portfolios as Ajit Pawar camp faces hard bargain

The new ministers led by Pawar attended their first cabinet meeting on Tuesday. After the meeting, the trio of Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Pawar held deliberations over the allocation of Cabinet portfolios.

Sources said that Pawar had initially demanded either Home or Finance portfolio which are presently with Fadnavis. Despite his demand, he was offered Revenue which is held by BJP’s Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil. However, no final decision was reached at and the meeting remained inconclusive.

Speaking with reporters, Pawar indicated that the allocation of portfolios in the state ministry may not be announced immediately. He attributed the delay to Shinde and Fadnavis leaving for Nagpur to welcome President Droupadi Murmu who is reaching there later in the evening.

“We all have decided to work together. There is no question of disgruntlement,” he said, when asked if some members in the Shinde group are unhappy over his inclusion in the ministry. Pawar pointed out that he has worked with many of the members in the present Cabinet in the MVA government’s tenure and there was no issue of disagreement.

Sources within the Pawar camp said that apart from having an important portfolio for himself, eight other ministers too should be treated with dignity. “Out of other eight, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse-Patil have held important portfolios in previous governments. The allocation of portfolios to these ministers is also important,” a leader from the Pawar camp said.