Disquiet in Shinde camp, BJP as Ajit Pawar's group joins Maharashtra government

Chief minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with his two deputy CMs immediately after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Mumbai: Hours after the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP was sworn in, the three ruling parties are at loggerheads over the allocation of ministerial berths, reshuffle of departments and power-sharing. While Shiv Sena leaders have openly expressed their displeasure over the BJP’s bringing in a new ally, BJP leaders too are worried on several counts. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the allocation of portfolios did not happen even a day after Pawar and his eight ministers took oath.

Newly sworn-in Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis, CM Eknath Shinde.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with his two deputy CMs immediately after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The meet, however, remained inconclusive because of differences on the distribution of portfolios, and the three were compelled to defer the decision.

Sources said that the discontent of CM Shinde, who barely spoke during the cabinet meeting, was clearly visible. “His body language and that of his ministers was subdued, while the Ajit Pawar camp appeared to be aggressive,” said an official. “Besides that, Pawar and Fadnavis were seen to be more friendly, which gave an impression that Shinde was isolated.”

The three leaders will meet again on Wednesday to discuss the allocation. “The Ajit Pawar camp has been demanding finance, energy, food and civil supplies, rural development, water resources, and women and child welfare,” said a senior BJP leader. “The Shinde faction is strongly opposed to Ajit getting finance, as his disproportionate distribution of the outlay as finance minister in the MVA government was a major reason for their rebellion last year. The CM also opposed the idea of a reshuffle of departments held by his party’s ministers, which the BJP had proposed.”

The Shinde camp, meanwhile, is deeply upset. Legislators Sanjay Shirsat, Bharat Gogawale and minister Deepak Kesarkar questioned the BJP’s adding a new ally, that too without taking them into confidence. “We had a full majority so where was the need to do this?” demanded Shirsat. Gogawale, on his part, was agitated because his political rival, the NCP’s Aditi Tatkare, is now a minister and is likely to get the guardian ministership of Raigad, which he was eyeing.

The disgruntlement, however, is tempered with helplessness. “What will we achieve by getting angry?” Gogawale told the media. “We will accept the situation and move forward. Those who were to get one bhakri (bread) will now get half and those who were to get half will now get quarter.” When asked whether Shiv Sena legislators were apprehensive about Ajit getting the finance portfolio, Gogawale said he believed the BJP would do justice to the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena leader Gajanan Kirtikar too said it was fine if the Shiv Sena got less portfolios. “The inclusion of the NCP has been done to win the Lok Sabha polls and decimate Sharad Pawar,” he said. “Some of our MLAs who wanted ministerships are upset but this is not a big problem.”

Sources, however, claimed that some MLAs who wanted ministerships had told Shinde openly that he had reneged on the commitments made to them. On Tuesday evening, party ministers met at the residence of education minister Deepak Kesarkar to redress the issue and discuss the impact of the NCP joining the government. Significantly, Shinde, who was in Nagpur to attend a function with President Murmu, rushed back to Mumbai. Sources in his party said that he had come back to discuss portfolio allocations and was likely to fly back to Nagpur the next morning. His sudden trip to Mumbai led to speculations in political circles.

BJP leaders too were upset about people’s reactions to the split in the NCP. “Voters are not happy about our joining hands with a party against whom we levelled so many allegations,” said the BJP leader. “Some leaders too are dismayed, as loyal party workers have been left out of the power-sharing. But the party leadership was convinced that the move was imperative for the Lok Sabha elections.”

Another BJP leader said that the Pawar and Shinde camps were expected to get around 13 ministerial berths each, while the BJP would retain about 16 berths. “The Shinde camp may make a noise but it has lost its bargaining power after the induction of the Ajit Pawar faction,” he added. “It will have to follow orders from the central leadership of the BJP.”

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