Maharashtra govt announces portfolio allocation: Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde gets home ministry, NCP rural development, Congress gets women and child welfare

Two weeks after Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress’ Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government has announced the allocation of portfolios. The Shiv Sena has got the home ministry; in a first such instance in Shiv Sena’s history. The Sena’s Eknath Shinde, a close confidant of Uddhav, has got the home portfolio, as also urban development, environment and public works department (PWD), among others. Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal has been given the portfolios of rural development, social justice, water resources and state excise. From the Congress, Balasaheb Thorat has been given charge of revenue, energy, medical education and school education.

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NCP has also got Finance, Housing, Public Health, Co-operation ministries, informed a release from the chief minister’s office. The Congress, the third partner in the coalition, has also got charge of Education, Textiles, Women and Child Welfare ministries. The other Sena minister, Subhash Desai, has been given the charge of Agriculture, Industries, Higher and Technical Education, Sports and Youth Welfare, Horticulture, Transport, Marathi Language and Cultural Affairs, Ports. NCP minister Jayant Patil has been allocated Finance and Planning, Housing, Public Health, Co-operation, Food and Civil Supplies, Labour and Minority Welfare. Congress’s Nitin Raut has been given PWD, Tribal Welfare, Women and Child Welfare, Textile, Relief and Rehabilitation, OBC,VJNT, Special Backward Class Welfare. A cabinet expansion is likely to take place after the winter session of the state legislature, which is scheduled from 16 to 21 December. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “The portfolio allocation is a temporary arrangement in view of the winter session which will start next week. After the cabinet expansion more ministers will be inducted.” A senior Congress leader told PTI that the party will give opportunity to new faces during the cabinet expansion. “We wanted Housing or Industry department. But we will get posts of Ministers of State for these two portfolios,” he said. The unlikely coalition of the three parties came into being after the Sena’s alliance with the BJP fell apart over sharing of the chief minister’s post following the 21 October Assembly polls. With inputs from PTI