After the long-pending portfolio allocation was announced by the Mahayuti government on Saturday, a new tussle seems to be brewing among its allies over the appointment of guardian ministers with multiple contenders for the coveted post in several districts.
At present, Maharashtra has 42 ministers, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The race for guardian minister posts has intensified in at least 11 districts — Nashik, Jalgaon, Raigad, Satara, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane, Sambhaji Nagar, Beed, Pune and Kolhapur.
The role of a guardian minister is crucial as it involves controlling the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds, which are allocated for development and beautification projects.
In Raigad, Sena minister Bharat Gogawale and NCP minister Aditi Tatkare are competing for the post. Gogawale said, “We have three ministers in Raigad. Last time, the Sena got the post, and now, as a minister, I naturally expect to be appointed guardian minister.”
In Nashik, the race is between NCP’s Manikrao Kokate and Shinde Sena’s Dada Bhuse. Kokate emphasised NCP’s claim, saying, “With seven MLAs from Nashik, the NCP has a strong claim for the post.”
The competition is equally fierce in Sambhaji Nagar, where Sena’s Sanjay Shirsat and BJP’s Atul Save are contenders. Shirsat said, “A formal announcement of my appointment is all that remains.”
The most intense tussle is in Satara where four ministers are staking claims for the post. Similarly, in Beed, NCP’s Dhananjay Munde and BJP’s Pankaja Munde are locked in a contest, while in Jalgaon, Sena’s Gulabrao Patil and BJP’s Girish Mahajan are vying. Sindhudurg and Thane districts are also witnessing disputes, with notable contenders including Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and BJP’s Ganesh Naik.
Minister Pratap Sarnaik expressed his party’s preference for Shinde, stating, “We feel Thane’s guardian ministership should remain with Shinde Saheb.”
However, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai downplayed the tensions. “There will be no tussle among allies over guardian ministership, and the process will proceed smoothly,” said Bawankule.
In Mumbai, which has only two BJP ministers — Mangalprabhat Lodha and Ashish Shelar, Lodha is expected to be appointed for Mumbai city and Shelar for Mumbai suburbs. However, the Shiv Sena is reportedly keen on having a guardian minister from outside Mumbai, as seen previously with Deepak Kesarkar.
“When such a huge majority is obtained in an election, only a few are selected from them for the ministerial position and portfolios are allocated according to their experience. Some districts have more than one ministers. In Satara and Pune there are four ministers each. In such situations the question arises on guardian minister. It is not easy. However, now that portfolios have been allocated, the guardian minister post will also be allocated soon, I think,” said minister Chandrakant Patil.
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