Mahayuti may have won the Maharashtra elections with ease, proving wrong the predictions of a tough contest. However, the ensuing period has been marked by intense negotiations as all the three parties, buoyed by their strong showing – BJP 132, Shiv Sena 57 and NCP 41 seats – are jostling for key portfolios.
Thursday’s swearing-in remained touch-and-go until almost the last hour as Army chief Eknath Shinde reportedly kept the deputy chief minister post for the home ministry. When he was asked to choose between home and urban development, he eventually fell for the BJP’s plan.
Ajit Pawar, who has scored a few points with the BJP by presenting himself as a perfectly favorable ally, has his own demands too, with housing and finance – the ones he held in the previous grand coalition government – at the top of his list.
A look at the six most sought-after departments in Maharashtra, and why they are so prestigious:
the house
In all governments, states and at the Centre, this is one department that every leader wants to control – and one that chief ministers almost never escape. The reasons are clear: Home controls the police, providing the concerned minister with valuable and early insight into every development of import under their jurisdiction. In times of political instability, the long arm of the law can steady the boat or steer the boat—and, in the case of grand coalitions, can be a means of keeping allies in check.
Also, many search agencies report that this house is an additional attraction.
Good work in the area of law and order can go a long way in making the state attractive for business and investment.
In the previous Mahayuti government, when the BJP gave Shinde the chief ministership despite having more seats, he kept the house for himself. The portfolio was held by the then Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis – though his tenure was a mixed bag for him personally as the Maratha Quota riots were blamed for direct police action.
finance
It is one of the most sought after departments after Home. Not only does the minister-in-charge release funds to projects and individual constituencies, but all decisions of the state government can proceed only after approval of the funds.
Besides, the finance minister is the only cabinet member who can call a meeting of department officials other than the chief minister without taking the minister’s approval.
Fund withdrawal is always a contentious issue in coalition governments, and therefore a threat to the key to funding. Every minister is careful not to antagonize the finance minister as he wants the flow of funds to run smoothly in his department.
After joining the previous coalition government in mid-2023, Ajit Pawar got the finance portfolio, which Fadnavis vacated – underscoring the importance for the BJP of winning Ajit over to their side. Ajith can get finance again this time.
Urban development
The department is responsible for most of the development and infrastructure projects in the urban areas of the state, especially the municipal corporations. Almost all urban local bodies in Maharashtra – including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – fall under the Urban Development Department. The Mumbai Metropolitan Area Development Authority and the City and Industrial Development Corporation are also under its purview.
In FY 2023-24, Rs 31,082 crore or 5.66 per cent of the total state expenditure was for the department.
Apart from formulating and finalizing city development plans, the Urban Development Department also deals with allotment of plots for projects and demarcation of urban areas.
A party that caters largely to an urban voter base – like the Shiv Sena – usually emphasizes this department. As most of the municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the BMC, are going to the polls, no party will miss a chance to control it.
Shinde was the urban development minister in the previous Mahayutti government and is expected to get the portfolio again.
revenue
The department deals with land transactions, its buying and selling process, finalizing the mineral extraction policy and developing ways of revenue generation through innovative means. From land records to sand mining records, from ticket fee collection to tax collection, the department supervises.
The party in-charge of the department can determine the use of land, has the most authority over the bureaucracy, especially the district collectors, and can determine the tax structure in the real estate market.
The revenue department was held by the BJP in the previous coalition government. There is a dispute about who will take it this time.
accommodation
The Maharashtra Housing Department is currently overseeing some of the largest real estate projects in the country, including the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. In the near future, Mumbai is expected to witness large-scale redevelopment projects like Motilal Nagar in Goregaon, Abhyudaya Nagar in central Mumbai, Kamathipura Redevelopment Project and others.
As millions of crores are invested in these projects, the ministry is attractive for any party.
In the previous Mahayuti government, the BJP had kept housing, but this time it has been pushed by allies.
Irrigation
After the increase of 13 percent in the budget of the Ministry of Irrigation for the year 2024-25, all parties are looking at this department. Beneficial utilization of the budget for projects can help any party build its base among farmers, who constitute an influential vote bank in the state.
The department has been embroiled in a series of allegations over revised administrative approvals for irrigation projects over the past decade, triggering a political storm in the state.
Among the new projects on the cards are the Maharashtra Resilience Development Project, under which more than 100 irrigation projects are to be completed and maintained; the ambitious Marathwada Water Grid Project, which has connected at least 11 irrigation projects in water-scarce areas; And the Nalganga-Wainganga river linking project, estimated to be one of the largest in the country at an outlay of Rs 87,000 crore, has the potential to transform Vidarbha’s water landscape.
In the previous government, the BJP held the irrigation department, and is expected to retain it. In the recent Assembly elections, the party made gains in both Marathwada and Vidarbha, which are not considered its usual hunting grounds.