E-Paper
Uddhav-led cabinet expansion to happen next week: Pawar
The Maharashtra cabinet expansion is likely next week, within two to three days after the winter session of the state legislature concludes on Saturday.
The Maharashtra cabinet expansion is likely next week, within two to three days after the winter session of the state legislature concludes on Saturday.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said, “While I have not yet spoken to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, I think the expansion should happen within two to three days after this session ends.’’
Pawar was speaking to mediapersons in Nagpur, in the backdrop of the winter session.
The NCP chief has been here since Tuesday evening and is slated to meet Thackeray late on Wednesday night or Thursday. He is in Nagpur to meet his party legislators, including several first-timers.
He is also expected to discuss the expansion with Thackeray along with several issues such as the farm loan waiver and the contentious Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), among other issues.
With the state cabinet expansion plans firming up, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also landed in Nagpur on Wednesday night.
“Khargeji, Pawar saheb or Praful Patel and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray are likely to meet tonight or tomorrow afternoon to finalise expansion plans. NCP is likely to fill up all remaining berths in its quota,’’ said a senior NCP leader,’’ said a senior NCP leader. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government made up of Sena, Congress and the NCP has only seven ministers currently, including Thackeray. According to their interim portfolio allocation for the session, NCP has 16, Sena has 15 and Congress 12 berths.
However, Congress is not completely satisfied with this allocation and wants a department that is linked to rural populace out of the rural development department, agriculture or co-operatives for itself.
“We are not completely satisfied with this portfolio allocation and we want one of the three departments that can have an impact in rural constituencies. We will speak about this to the CM and swap one department if required. We are ready for the expansion on December 23,’’ said a senior Congress leader.
“Khargeji will take the meeting of the Congress Legislative Party on Thursday to listen to all legislators.’’ One of the party’s senior leaders in their internal meeting said that Congress should opt for outside support in this government if it was not even getting influential departments.
Pawar also indicated that the Congress-NCP-Sena alliance could work at the level of local self-government polls in various districts. He said local leaders were working out alliances with Congress, Sena wherever it was feasible. NCP chief said that a similar coalition could work in the BMC.
