Nearly two weeks after the Maharashtra oath ceremony, the cabinet portfolios were announced Saturday, with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister in the last government, landing three ministries – Urban Development, Housing and Public Works – but not the Home portfolio, which he was reportedly keen on.
Ajit Pawar, the second Deputy Chief Minister, was assigned the key Finance Ministry portfolio.
Chief Minister Devenda Fadnavis kept the Home, Energy and Law Ministries.
The Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won over 230 of the state’s 288 assembly seats, while opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena faction and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction could win only 46 seats.
Mr Fadnavis and his deputies – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15.
Taking a swipe at the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, Uddhav Thackeray party leader Aaditya Thackeray today termed the delay in portfolio allocation “a joke”, saying that ministers have gotten their perks but no responsibility.
“All ministers got bungalows and cars but no responsibility. A joke is going on. No one wants to serve,” he told news agency ANI.
