The council of ministers in Maharashtra has received its due portfolio distribution finalized by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, ending weeks of controversies. That’s why on December 21, an official statement was made per which Fadnavis maintained the major departments such as Home, Energy, Law and Judiciary, General Administration, Information and Publicity.
Eknath Shinde, the first Deputy Chief Minister got the portfolio of Urban Development, Housing and Public Works (Public Enterprises); Ajit Pawar, the second Deputy Chief Minister got Finance, Planning and Excise. The portfolio distribution takes place after the end of the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature for a week. Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar were administered the oath on Dec 5 subsequently the following 39 ministers also took the oath on December 15.
The Mahayuti alliance partners, BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena swept the Assembly polls on November 20, by clinching 230 of the 288 seats. Such distribution of portfolios supports the overriding partnership agreement within the alliance.
Key Portfolios Allocated to BJP Ministers
The BJP has landed many of its leaders critical positions. Chandrashekhar Bawankule ministers for Revenue will be handling the revenue assignment whereas Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil ministers for Water Resources and Krishna-Godavari Valley Development Corporation. Chandrakant Patil gets Higher and Technical Education & Parliamentary Affairs as portfolios and Girish Mahajan gets Disaster Management & Water Resources, Vidarbha, Tapi and Konkan.
Other significant allocations include:
- Ganesh Naik: Forests
- Mangal Prabhat Lodha: Skill Development, Employment, and Entrepreneurship
- Ashish Shelar: Cultural Affairs and IT
- Pankaja Munde: Environment, Climate Change, and Animal Husbandry
Shiv Sena and NCP Portfolios
Shiv Sena leaders were entrusted with vital departments:
- Gulabrao Patil: Water Supply and Sanitation
- Uday Samant: Industries and Marathi Language
- Sanjay Shirsat: Social Justice
- Pratap Sarnaik: Transport
NCP ministers also received notable portfolios:
- Hasan Mushrif: Medical Education
- Dhananjay Munde: Food and Civil Supplies
- Aditi Tatkare: Women and Child Development
- Manikrao Kokate: Agriculture
Ministers of State
Among Ministers of State, the party will have handle Shiv Sena’s Ashish Jaiswal for Finance, Agriculture, and Law ministries besides BJP’s Madhuri Misal who was given portfolios in Urban Development, Transport and School Education, among others which will be look after by BJP’s Pankaj Bhoyar.
The various security investments blended in the portfolio demonstrate that the alliance has the capacity to deal with the complex governance issues facing Maharashtra.
(Input from PTI)
