After being sidelined for the last five years, sugar barons are back in the corridors of power in Maharashtra. Of the 36 ministers who took oath in the first cabinet expansion of the Uddhav Thackeray government on Monday, 16 have direct connections with sugar mills — either cooperative or private. This is a four-time rise compared to the just four ministers in the previous Devendra Fadnavis government. The NCP has rewarded the largest number of sugar barons, with eight making it to the state cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil. Meanwhile, the Congress has rewarded old veterans like Ashok Chavan, Amit Deshmukh and Balasaheb Thorat, and two Independent MLAs — Shankarrao Gadak and NCP rebel Rajendra Patil Yadravkar — were also sworn in Monday. The lone sugar baron from Shiv Sena who took oath is Sambhuraje Desai.
