Senior ministers fight, BJP top brass to allot bungalows

The fight among senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers over the allotment of bungalows created a major hurdle on Wednesday, after the first state Cabinet meeting.

The fight among senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers over the allotment of bungalows created a major hurdle on Wednesday, after the first state Cabinet meeting.

Now, the party leadership is expected to intervene in allocation of Ramtek and Devgiri, the two most sought-after bungalows after chief minister’s official residence, Varsha.

Senior minister Eknath Khadse and finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar have staked their claims over Ramtek. Rural development minister Pankaja Munde, too, is reportedly interested in the same house, as her father late Gopinath Munde and his family had occupied the bungalow between 1995 and 1999, when he was the deputy chief minister.

Mungantiwar, however, may have to settle for Devgiri, which is currently occupied by Ajit Pawar.

While industries minister Prakash Mehta has been allotted Parnakuti, earlier occupied by the former social justice minister Shivajirao Moghe, PWD minister Chandrakant Patil will occupy A-9, the 1,800 sqft house opposite Mantralaya.

Meanwhile, Khadse has shifted his office to the 8,000 sqft cabin meant for the deputy chief minister on the sixth floor in Mantralaya.

Mungantiwar’s office is on the fifth floor, earlier occupied by former cooperation minister Harshvardhan Patil.

School education minister Vinod Tawde has staked his claim on the first-floor cabin, which was with RR Patil.

CM Devendra Fadnavis, however, said there was no dispute . He said his colleagues were not able to occupy the bungalows being allotted to them as the former ministers were still to vacate the premises.