Given the hectic parleys and intense bargaining over Maharashtra’s ministerial portfolios among the Mahayuti partners – the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP – it was widely believed that the composition of their new government would see a change. However, Saturday’s portfolio allocation exercise has made it clear that the ruling alliance preferred “continuity” to maintain “status quo with minor changes”.
“The allocation of portfolios falls under the jurisdiction of the Chief Minister. In any coalition government, there is some give and take as everyone’s interests and aspirations need to be accommodated,” state BJP chief and newly inducted minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.
Based on the numerical strength of the Mahayuti partners – the BJP with 132 MLAs and the Shiv Sena and the NCP with 57 and 41 legislators respectively – the division of ministerial berths turned out to be a “cakewalk”. While the BJP got 20 ministerial positions (including the chief minister’s post), the Sena and the NCP got 12 and 10 berths respectively. However, portfolio allocation proved to be trickier. “Ironing out portfolios hence took over 15 days,” sources in the Mahayuti said.
Highly-placed sources in the BJP said given that Shinde had taken a step down and accepted to be Deputy CM, the Sena was exerting more pressure on the BJP than the NCP in its bid to get “plum portfolios”.
Making the exercise tougher was both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde’s keen eyes on the Home department – a portfolio that Fadnavis held even when he was Deputy CM in the previous Shinde-led Mahayuti government – and Ajit’s insistence on retaining the Finance portfolio. Moreover, Shinde demanded the Urban Development, Revenue and PWD (Enterprises) portfolios in lieu of scaling down on his CM aspirations.
According to sources, even as Shinde kept the BJP on tenterhooks till the last minute over his acceptance of the Deputy CM’s position, the Sena demanded 13 Cabinet berths and also sought the Chairperson’s post in the Legislative Council. However, the BJP only ceded 12 ministerial positions to the Sena, even as it named its own MLC Ram Shinde as the Council Chairperson.
However, consistent pressure from the Sena forced the BJP to concede important portfolios like Housing and Public Works to Shinde.
Mahayuti insiders claimed that the BJP and the Sena also “clashed” on the Industry portfolio. “While the BJP was keen to have its MLA as Industry minister, the Sena succeeded in retaining the post for Uday Samant,” sources said.
As the BJP and the Sena were engaged in tough negotiations, Ajit backed Fadnavis for the top job. Sources, however, said the NCP sought “at least two or three more berths this time”. Ajit’s move seems to have paid off as he retained the Finance portfolio while his party got some key departments including Agriculture, Cooperation, Medical Health, Food and Civil Supplies, Women and Child Development, and Relief and Rehabilitation.
Just after the poll results came in last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had made it clear that the BJP would not compromise on key portfolios but emphasised that each constituent of the Mahayuti would “get its due”.
However, BJP insiders asserted that despite the party taking up the responsibility of a “big brother” in terms of numbers in the Assembly as well as the Cabinet, it has ensured a “balance”. “It ensured that its status within the alliance was not compromised and hence along with the Home and Revenue portfolios it ensured that key departments like Energy, Water Resources, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare, OBC Welfare and Higher Technical Education remained with it,” a senior BJP leader said.
Interestingly, the BJP has allotted some key portfolios like PWD (Shivendraraje Bhosale), Labour (Akash Phundkar), Tribal Welfare (Ashok Uike), and Ports and Fisheries (Nitesh Rane) to first-time ministers.
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