14 July,2023 04:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajit Pawar (File Photo)
Maharashtra's newly inducted Deputy CM Ajit Pawar gets Finance and Planning department portfolios after the government announced cabinet expansion on Friday.
Earlier, on July 2, Ajit Pawar along with eight other NCP MLAs took oath as ministers and joined the Shinde-led government.
Cabinet Minister Dilip Walse Patil gets 'Cooperation', Dhananjay Munde will be the new agriculture minister, Chhagan Bhujbal gets food and civil supplies, Aditi Tatkare gets the women and child development ministry.
Cabinet Minister Anil Patil gets Relief and Rehabilitation, Disaster Management Department.
Eight of Pawar's NCP colleagues who were sworn in as ministers on July 2 also received their portfolios, said a statement issued by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office.
With the inclusion of 9 NCP ministers, there are 29 cabinet ministers in Maharashtra.
Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs apparently had objected to the allocation of Finance and Planning to Pawar.
With Tatkare's induction, for the first time, a woman MLA has been given a cabinet berth in the Shinde government.
Earlier, Maharashtra Industries Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said that the coordination committee that will be coordinating the allocation of the ministries has been formed.
"The committee will coordinate among the three parties. There will be 12 leaders from all three parties in this coordination committee. Four leaders from each party have been named for the committee," Sawant said.
He further said that the members from the BJP include, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ashish Shelar, Prasad Lad and Chandrashekhar Bawankule while from Shiv Sena, Uday Samant, Shambhuraj Desai, Dada Bhuse and Rahul Shewale will be part of the team.
"From NCP, Dhananjay Munde, Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal and Sunil Tatkare will be there," he added.
Earlier on July 2, Ajit Pawar split the NCP down the middle as he joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as the state's deputy chief minister for the fifth time.
(with inputs from agencies)
