Portfolios to be allocated to ministers in day or two

The long-awaited Cabinet expansion of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was carried out on Monday, but the allotment of portfolios for the ministers is likely

The long-awaited Cabinet expansion of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was carried out on Monday, but the allotment of portfolios for the ministers is likely to take another day or two.

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Thackeray inducted 36 ministers into his council on Monday. Including the seven ministers including Thackeray, the Cabinet now has a full strength of 43 ministers.

The Shiv Sena has 15 ministers, including four junior ministers; the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has 16 ministers, including four junior ministers; and the Congress has 12 ministers including two junior ministers.

While it was expected that the portfolios would be distributed by Monday evening, Thackeray said that allocations would be announced in a day or two. “Allocation of portfolios will be done by tomorrow (Tuesday) or day after (Wednesday),” Thackeray told reporters.

There continues to be some disquiet over the allocation of plum portfolios, especially the home department that is to be given to the NCP.

While deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has been keen on home department, party insiders now say that this portfolio might be given to other minister.

Senior NCP leaders and ministers Dilip Walse-Patil, Jayant Patil and Anil Deshmukh are seen as main contenders for the home department.

“The NCP chief is also considering Deshmukh, who is from Vidarbha for the home department post, to avoid bad blood between Ajit Pawar and Walse-Patil or Patil. He could be a compromise candidate in case Ajit is not given the portfolio or there is plan to allocate it to Ajit at a later stage,” said a senior NCP leader.

If Pawar doesn’t get the home department, he may be given finance or rural development.

There is also curiosity over Aaditya Thackeray’s portfolio. He was seen as a surprise candidate in the cabinet on Monday. Shiv Sena leaders said that Aaditya Thackeray may be given the environment or tourism department given his interest in these areas.

“I have not been informed by my party which portfolio I will be given. But I will try and do justice to any department that I am given,” said Thackeray.

Among other big portfolios, it is likely that the urban development department will go to Sena’s Eknath Shinde; revenue may go to Congress’s Balasaheb Thorat; public works department or power department may go to Congress’s Ashok Chavan; finance or irrigation department may go to NCP’s Jayant Patil; tribal development department will go to the Cabinet’s lone tribal minister, KC Padvi, among others.

“There has been talk of him (Ajit Pawar) getting home, but finance also needs a good minister. The decision will be taken by party seniors,” said Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son, speaking to a section of the media after the swearing-in ceremony.