The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra announced the portfolio allocation among ministers on Saturday, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis retaining the crucial home ministry.
Fadnavis will also handle the Energy (excluding renewable energy), Law and Judiciary, General Administration, and Information and Publicity departments.
Shiv Sena leader and deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been allocated the Urban Development, Housing, and Public Works (Public Enterprises) departments.
Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party chief and Fadnavis’ second deputy, will continue to handle the Finance and Planning department, along with the State Excise department.
The Nationalist Congress Party had earlier stated that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra would "have no meaning” if Pawar was not made the finance minister.
On November 23, the alliance – comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena group led by Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Pawar – won 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.
On December 5, BJP’s Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra, while Shinde and Pawar took oath as his deputies. Thirty-nine legislators were inducted into Maharashtra’s new Council of Ministers on December 15. However, no announcements were made regarding key ministerial portfolios as part of the Mahayuti’s power-sharing arrangement.
The alliance announced the portfolio allocation for all 33 Cabinet ministers and six ministers of state on the last day of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly.
The BJP’s Maharashtra unit chief, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, was given the revenue portfolio, while Pankaja Munde got the Environment and Climate Change, Animal Husbandry department. Ashish Shelar was allocated the Cultural Affairs and Information Technology department and Nitesh Rane was given Fisheries and Ports.
Among the Shinde Sena leaders, Gulabrao Patil has retained the Water Supply and Sanitation department, Dadaji Bhuse will be the new School Education Minister and Prakash Abitkar has got the Public Health and Family Welfare department.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Hasan Mushrif has retained his Medical Education department, while former Agriculture Minister Dhanjay Munde has been given Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Protection department, which Chhagan Bhujbal handled in the previous government.
Bhujbal has been dropped from the Cabinet.
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