Alliance party leaders unhappy after cabinet expansion: Saamana

While Thackeray has been unable to allocate portfolios, the state government allotted offices and residences to ministers on Thursday

Days after Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray expanded his cabinet, the party in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ confirmed on Thursday that there is disquiet and tussle among senior leaders of the alliance parties for key cabinet posts.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat and Manikrao Thakre stepping out of Hotel Trident in Bandra-Kurla Complex where they had meeting with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. (Satish Bate/HT file photo)

While Thackeray has been unable to allocate portfolios, the state government allotted offices and residences to ministers on Thursday. Congress has sought one more portfolio with a rural connect, which has not been accepted by Thackeray yet.

“...There were some sparks of disappointment [after cabinet expanision] from those who could not make the cut, but the list of probables was huge,” the Shiv Sena said in Saamana’s editorial.

Noting that there was a tussle over portfolio distribution, the Shiv Sena said senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who has been inducted into the state Cabinet, needs a ministry like ‘revenue’.

But the ministry is currently with another Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, it pointed out.

Thackeray expanded his month-old ministry on December 30 by inducting 36 ministers.

Congress and NCP refuted that there was any disquiet over the cabinet expansion.

“It is not a big thing. The matter is related to just one department. Most of the senior ministers of Congress were not in Mumbai, while the CM (Uddhav Thackeray) was also busy with the Maharashtra Police Raising Day event,” said Chavan on Thursday.

Sharad Pawar, NCP chief, too refuted any discontent among the three parties over portfolios. “Nobody in the state’s ruling coalition is unhappy over portfolio allocation,” Pawar said.