Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday allocated the home and finance ministries in his Cabinet to his deputy and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis.
Law and justice, water resources, housing and energy are also among the portfolios assigned to Fadnavis, the chief minister’s office tweeted.
Shinde took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on June 30 with support from the BJP after he and several other Shiv Sena MLAs rebelled against party leader Uddhav Thackeray, toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government.
Shinde and Fadnavis were the only ministers in the Cabinet till August 9 when 18 MLAs were sworn in to the Cabinet, 40 days after the new government took over. Nine leaders each from the BJP and Shiv Sena took oath on that day but their portfolios were announced on Sunday.
Among the departments that Shinde will handle are general administration, urban development, information and technology, information and public relations, public works (general projects), transport, social justice, environment and climate change and minority.
Among the Shinde loyalists, Deepak Kesarkar has been given the school education and Marathi language portfolios, while Shambhuraj Desai will handle state excise department.
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod, whose name was linked to the death of a woman in Pune last year, has been given the charge of the food and drug administration department.
BJP state unit chief Chandrakant Patil will handle the forestry, cultural activities and fisheries departments. Former minister and BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has been given the higher and technical education, textile industry and parliamentary affairs portfolios.
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