Uddhav Thackeray re-allocates portfolios of 9 ministers from Eknath Shinde camp
Maharashtra political crisis: A total of nine ministers including five cabinet and four junior ministers are with the Eknath Shinde camp.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has decided to reallocate portfolios of the absent ministers so that the state government functioning should not get affected especially since the monsoon has begun, said the CMO.
Urban development department and public works (MSRDC) held by Eknath Shinde given to industries minister Subhash Desai, higher and technical education portfolio of Uday Samant given to environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, water supply and sanitation portfolio held by Gulabrao Patil given to transport minister Anil Parab, agriculture department held by Dada Bhuse and employment guarantee scheme held by Sandipan Bhumare are given to Shankarrao Gadakh who is a Sena supporter independent minister.
Besides charge of four ministers of state, Shambhuraj Desai, Rajendra Patil, Abdul Sattar and Omprakash Kadu has been reallocated to other ministers.
In all nine ministers including five cabinet and four junior ministers are with Shinde camp.
Maharashtra political crisis: LIVE coverage
Samant, the higher and technical education minister, had joined the rebel camp led by Shinde on Sunday, bringing the numbers of the rebel faction to 39. Samant reached Guwahati via Surat along with his secretary and a Shiv Sena worker from Thane.
The move by Uddhav Thackeray comes at a time when the rebel Eknath Shinde camp in a petition filed before the Supreme Court said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government had lost majority after the withdrawal of support by the Shiv Sena legislative party. Both the factions have been embroiled in a legacy war after the Shinde camp named their group ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb’.
The Shiv Sena called an emergency executive meet wherein the party passed six resolutions including the one declaring that the party belonged to Balasaheb Thackeray and nobody else would be allowed to use his name.