Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde’s party has emerged second in the Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after winning heavyweights and key portfolios in the much-anticipated portfolio sharing between the ruling grand alliance comprising BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena. the army
Even though Shinde had to accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister, he seems to have struck a hard deal with the BJP and managed to get the lion’s share of portfolio allocation by carrying important and heavyweight departments like urban development, housing, industries, public health, water supply. and school education, among others.
The party has also managed to retain most of the portfolios in the Shinde-led state government and add important departments like housing.
However, he could not get the house, the portfolio he was interested in and struck a hard bargain with the BJP for the past two-three weeks. Army sources said that instead of Home, Shinde managed to get other important portfolios like housing and urban development.
With the urban development ministry with him, Shinde will have control over all urban local bodies and key infrastructure and housing agencies in the Mumbai metropolitan area and other cities in the state such as MMRDA, CIDCO and MSRDC.
Apart from Shinde, 11 other Sena MLAs were sworn in as ministers in Nagpur last week, before the start of the winter session. Shinde holds the important ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Public Works (Public Enterprises) while Uday Samant has been given the Ministries of Industries and Marathi Language.
Other important portfolios like Public Health and Family Welfare and School Education have been given to Army Minister Prakash Abitkar and Dada Bhuse respectively. In the Ministry of Transport, Bharat Gogaon, Gulabrao Patil has been given the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Sanjay Rathod has been given the Ministry of Soil and Water Conservation, Tourism, Mining, Shambhuraj Desai has been given the Ministry of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and Sanjay Shirsat has been given the Ministry of Social Justice.
Apart from the Council of Ministers, the party also got a Minister of State. Ashish Jaiswal has been given the responsibility of Finance and Planning, Agriculture, Relief and Rehabilitation, Law and Judiciary, Labour, Yogesh Kadam has been given the responsibility of Home (Urban), Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Food Civil Supply and Consumer Protection, Food Ministry. and drug administration.
While nominating nine ministers and two ministers of state in the new government, the army retained five ministers and dropped three from the previous coalition government. The party has given opportunity to 6 new faces including those who came for the first time.
On the inclusion of MLAs in the cabinet, an army functionary said Shinde has played a strategic balancing act on regional fronts and caste lines, keeping in mind the upcoming civic polls and ensuring that all are represented. Five regions of the state.
Shinde is also banking on the two-and-a-half-year rotation policy for ministers to pacify MLAs who have missed the bus this time.
In the regional division, Shinde has given maximum representation to the Konkan region by picking three ministers from there, followed by two ministers each from North Maharashtra, West Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Mumbai Metropolitan Region and one from Marathwada.
However, the party has not nominated any candidate from Mumbai.
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