Shinde holds his ground; NCP grand entry hurts BJP

Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde

As expected, Ajit Pawar and his colleagues got a good deal in portfolio allocation on Friday, with the deputy chief minister having claimed the finance and planning department, notwithstanding opposition from the Shiv Sena and a section of the BJP. In a power bargain with NCP, the third ally, the BJP parted with more than Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, which reshuffled its portfolios on Friday.

In addition to finance for Ajit, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction's eight other ministers bagged 'mass-appeal' departments such as agriculture, cooperation, medical education, women and child welfare, food and civil supplies, food and drugs administration, medical education, relief, rehabilitation and disaster management. The allocation took place 12 days after the new ministers were sworn in, apparently because of disagreement between the partners over sharing power. Sources said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command had already committed to give NCP good departments, and it did as well. However, the Shinde Sena saved as much, but could not prevent the loss of agriculture and FDA departments.

Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis tweeted this picture saying ‘desk cleared' which probably means he has cleared all pending files of departments that have been given to others, including Ajit Pawar

Subdued colleagues

The reshuffle gave Shinde an opportunity to subdue his controversial party colleagues Abdul Sattar and Sanjay Rathod. He did not drop the two from the cabinet for political reasons. Sattar is Sena's Muslim face and Rathod represents the influential Banjara community. But he cut them to size by diverting their good portfolios. Now put in charge of minority affairs, Sattar's previous charge of agriculture went to NCP's Munde. Rathod will work in a lesser known soil and water conservation cell instead of the lucrative FDA that has gone to NCP's Dharamraobaba Atram. Shinde pulled out some charges from a bouquet of departments he had been holding since last year to be given to his colleagues who lost their existing charge in the bargain with NCP and BJP.

BJP turned out to be the biggest contributor to the NCP's kitty. The power deal the single largest party's top leadership brokered with Ajit Pawar came to full light on Friday. Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis gave up finance and planning for the NCP rebel leader. His colleague Atul Save's all-important cooperation went to Dilip Walse Patil, a veteran from western Maharashtra where NCP controls sugar cooperatives and private factories. BJP compensated Save by entrusting him with the housing department (Fadnavis held it till now), in addition to his previous charge of OBC welfare.

Finance minister Ajit Pawar, who took charge of the department, seen with senior officials at his Mantralaya office

Fadnavis' trusted colleagues Girish Mahajan and Ravindra Chavan were also divested of additional charges. Mahajan left a personal favourite medical education for Hasan Mushrif and sport/youth welfare for Sanjay Bansode. Against the loss of two, he gained tourism that was held by Mangalprabhat Lodha (BJP). Mahajan kept rural development that he had been given last year. Chavan continued with PWD but lost food and civil supplies to Chhagan Bhujbal.

After shedding heavy responsibility of the state treasury, Fadnavis will continue to be in charge of home, law & judiciary, water resources, energy and protocol. He had presented the budget early this year, taking care of the ruling partners. Leader of a new partner, Ajit, being the new finance minister, will be presenting an interim budget next summer because of the elections to be held in 2024. Sources said the new arrangement will test the 'cordial' equation between the past and present finance ministers, especially when the former in-charge leads a group of over 115 demanding MLAs. People in the know say that the finance minister gets to see the files of all departments, and with the new arrangement, Fadnavis might have lost that privilege. However, a counterview was that he, being a Dy CM and guardian of BJP's interests, would continue to read the files before they are sent to the CM.

Long awaited depts

As regards the NCP group, its veterans have a great deal of experience in various departments. However, the party never had an opportunity to head the agriculture department since 1999. The Congress had it in the 15-year alliance rule. The Sena had it in the MVA rule. NCP did not get to head the cooperation department for a long time. It will have the two departments to handle till the next elections. The only woman minister, Aditi Tatkare has been given the women and child welfare department. She was a junior minister in the MVA government.

NCP also wanted an infrastructure-related portfolio but the BJP and Sena have continued to share the PWD between them. CM Shinde has kept urban development that controls agencies like MMRDA and civic bodies across the state. Fadnavis has not given up energy and water resources, and handed housing to his party colleague. NCP always had some of these departments in the past.

Despite having more than twice the number of MLAs than either the Shinde Sena or the Ajit Pawar group, the BJP has not benefitted in cabinet allocation

The ministers and their portfolios

CM Eknath Shinde
General administration, urban development, IT, information and public relations, transport, social justice, environment and climate change, mines and departments that are given to any minister.

Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis
Home, law & judiciary, water resources, energy and protocol

Dy CM Ajit Pawar
Finance & Planning

Chhagan Bhujbal
Food & civil supplies , consumer protection

Dilip Walse Patil
Cooperation

R. Vikhe Patil
Revenue, animal husbandry, dairy development

Sudhir Mungantiwar
Forest, cultural affairs, fisheries

Sudhir Mungantiwar
Medical education, special assistance

Chandrakant Patil
Higher & technical education, textiles, parliamentary affairs

Vijaykumar Gavit
Tribal welfare

Girish Mahajan
Rural development & panchayat raj, tourism

Gulabrao Patil
Water supply, sanitation

Dada Bhuse
PWD (public enterprise)

Sanjay Rathod
Soil and water conservation

Dhananjay Munde
Agriculture

Suresh Khade
Labour

Sandipan Bhumre
Employment guarantee, horticulture

Uday Samant
Industry

Tanaji Sawant
Public health, family welfare

Ravindra Chavan
PWD

Abdul Sattar
Minority affairs & waqf, marketing

Deepak Kesarkar
School education, Marathi language

Aditi Tatkare
Women & child welfare

Sanjay Bansode
Sport & youth welfare, ports

Anil Patil
Relief, rehabilitation, disaster management

Mangal Prabhat Lodha
Skill development, entrepreneurship, innovation

Dharamraobaba Atram
Food & Drugs Administration

Atul Save
housing, OBC welfare

Shambhuraj Desai
State excise