Portfolios in the Maharashtra Cabinet were allocated on Sunday nearly a week after 36 leaders of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party were sworn in as Cabinet ministers.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was given charge of the finance and planning department while Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray will be responsible for the tourism, environment and protocol ministry, The Hindu reported.
Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat was given charge for the revenue department and the minority affairs department went to Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik. Responsibility for the urban development department went to Eknath Shinde while NCP leader Anil Deshmukh was made in charge of the state’s home department.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan was given the public works department portfolio. NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal will be responsible for food, civil supplies and consumer protection.
Charge for Maharashtra’s women and children welfare ministry went to Congress leader Yashomati Thakur while her party colleague Varsha Gaikwad was given school education.
“Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has approved the allocation of portfolios as proposed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray,” Koshyari’s office tweeted on Sunday morning.
On December 31, 36 leaders of the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party were sworn in as Cabinet ministers, taking the total strength of the Cabinet to the maximum of 43.
The Shiv Sena had admitted on Thursday of a tussle between the NCP, the Congress, and some of its leaders over key Cabinet berths. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party said some MLAs could not be inducted because the “list of probables” was huge.
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