Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar in Delhi to finalise portfolios, sulking Eknath Shinde stays back

Maharashtra's ruling parties are negotiating ministerial berths and key portfolios, with disputes persisting as CM Fadnavis heads to Delhi for resolution.

After reaching a consensus on the sharing of ministerial berths and the top three portfolios, Maharashtra’s three ruling parties have sought the intervention of central BJP leaders on certain contentious issues that remain. There is still a dispute over certain departments, to resolve which chief minister Devendra Fadnavis proceeded to Delhi on Wednesday for a two-day visit. Fadnavis was accompanied by deputy CM Ajit Pawar but an aggrieved Eknath Shinde chose not to go.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister at Mumbai Vidhan Sabha. (PTI)

In their meetings over the past few days, Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit have agreed on 22 berths going to the BJP, 11 to the Shiv Sena and 10 to the NCP. The maximum strength of the ministerial council permissible in Maharashtra, including the chief minister, is 43.

The number of berths per party could still change. According to BJP leaders, if the Sena and NCP push for more berths, they will have to settle for comparatively insignificant portfolios. As regards the key portfolios, the BJP has kept the home department while the revenue department too is expected to be retained by it. Shinde, who was pushing for home, has been given the urban development department, while the finance department will go to the NCP.

Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were to meet union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Shinde too was expected to attend the meeting but, significantly, chose not to go. According to his close aides, apart from the urban development department, he was offered no other significant portfolio. He was keen on a few departments—revenue, public works, including MSRDC, housing and energy—but the BJP did not accept the demand. Shinde is also unhappy with the BJP’s condition that he drop leaders who faced corruption charges in the last government.

“In fact, Shinde is quite upset at the way he has been treated in the whole deal,” said his close aide. “He has to haggle for everything. He feels he has not been given his due share in power though he went all out and contributed significantly to the Mahayuti’s victory in Maharashtra.” The deputy CM, thus did not go to Delhi, choosing to stay put at his Thane residence.

Cabinet yet to be finalised

Mahayuti leaders said they were trying to resolve the dispute on the portfolios before the first cabinet expansion. After the meeting in Delhi, Fadnavis and Ajit are expected to hold a meeting with Shinde on Thursday in Mumbai to finalise the names to be sworn in on Saturday. A BJP leader said that the ruling alliance would be able to expand the cabinet before the winter session beginning in Nagpur on December 16 only if the disputes were resolved.

“While the contentious three departments (home, urban development and finance) have been settled on, the three parties may exchange a few departments in due course,” said a BJP leader. “Apart from home and revenue, the BJP is expected to retain housing and water resources. The NCP may get the cooperation department, while discussion on the agriculture department is underway between the BJP and the NCP. The Sena will get the excise and public works department. Most of these departments are expected by the party as they already held them in the previous Mahayuti government.”

Shiv Sena leader and former minister Uday Samant said that the party had given Shinde all the rights to take a call on the power-sharing. “He had a very detailed meeting with Devendra Fadnavis on Monday night,” said Samant. “The discussion is moving very positively.”

The senior Sena leader quoted above said that the party was asking for 13 berths and expected to get at least 12, in which case the NCP could get nine berths. “The NCP is also pushing for additional berths, but in that case the BJP could ask them and even the Sena to settle for comparatively insignificant departments,” he said.

Another BJP leader added that the cabinet expansion could possibly happen on December 14 but it was not clear whether the entire team would be sworn in. “Ideally, it should have been with over 30 additional ministers, but in the given situation, just 15 or 18 ministers (five to six from each side) could take oath in the first expansion,” he said. “The Shiv Sena is in a tussle with the BJP about the names to be inducted; it is unwilling to drop the tainted ministers from the last cabinet as insisted on by the BJP. Secondly, there are a couple of departments like PWD and agriculture that have been claimed by at least two of the three parties.”

An NCP leader said that the major clash was between the BJP and Shiv Sena. “Our party has agreed to the berths offered and the names of those to be inducted also have been finalised,” he said.

Fadnavis, taking the needs of the winter session into consideration, has been insisting on inducting the maximum number of legislators from the three parties. The newly minted chief minister will hold a thanksgiving rally in Nagpur on Friday after returning from Delhi. The BJP leader quoted above said that the only day remaining for the swearing-in was Saturday. “If it does not happen on that day, it may be further delayed,” he said. “It will then take place only after the winter session ends on December 21.”