BJP, Sena, NCP fail to resolve portfolio allocation deadlock

Differences among the ruling partners in Maharashtra over ministerial berths and power-sharing continue, with the possibility of a third cabinet expansion.

Four days after Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs were sworn in as ministers, the differences among the three ruling partners over the allocation of ministerial berths, reshuffle of departments and power-sharing continued, with the parties failing to resolve these issues till Thursday evening. Reportedly, they could go in for a third expansion of the state cabinet before allocating portfolios to the new ministers.

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

Late on Thursday evening, chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting to sort out the issue. “It is still not clear if they will take a decision limited to portfolio allocation alone,” said a BJP insider. “They may discuss the possibility of a cabinet expansion at the same time, as there is dissent in the Shinde-led Shiv Sena over the inclusion of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the government. If that is the case, there will be another round of cabinet expansion, and it is only after this that portfolio allocations will be declared.”

Ajit Pawar and his eight MLAs took oath as ministers in the Shinde-Fadnavis government on Sunday. The disagreement started after the Shinde-led Sena strongly opposed the possibility of Ajit getting finance, owing to his disproportionate distribution of the outlay as finance minister in the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, which was one of the major reasons cited by Sena MLAs for their rebellion last year. They have also opposed reshuffling of the portfolios of their ministers for distribution to new ministers.

“The spat is not limited to portfolios,” said an NCP leader. “The Shinde-led Sena is opposing Aditi Tatkare’s name as guardian minister of Raigad, since their MLAs in the district don’t want her to be in charge there. There are several issues that need to be resolved and may drag on till Monday.”

The Shinde faction was vocal about its reservations against Tatkare on Thursday. Mahendra Dalvi, MLA from the Shinde faction, said that Bharat Gogawale should be chosen for the guardian minister position.

Gogawale, chief whip of the Shinde faction and an aspirant to a ministerial berth, said that six of the Shinde Sena’s MLAs had opposed making Aditi Tatkare the guardian minister of Raigad district. “They opposed her name owing to past incidents,” he told reporters.

Gogawale also claimed that the decision to give him the guardian minister position was already taken when the NCP was inducted into the government as a third ally. “Both CM Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had decided to make me the Raigad guardian minister,” he said. “There is no question of giving it to Aditi Tatkare.”

There was pressure from the BJP to drop some of Shinde’s controversial ministers and bring in fresh faces, but following strong objections voiced by his party, the BJP was pushing for a reshuffle of portfolios instead. The Ajit Pawar camp has been demanding the finance, energy, food and civil supplies, rural development, water resources, and women and child welfare departments.

Meanwhile, speaker of the assembly Rahul Narwekar has convened a meeting on Friday of the business advisory committee of the state legislature to discuss the business to be adopted in the monsoon session. State NCP chief Jayant Patil has been invited to attend the meeting while Ajit Pawar will also attend as deputy chief minister. Narwekar is yet to decide which faction is the real NCP.

(With inputs from Yogesh Naik)