Maha Cabinet: Ajit Pawar Gets Finance, Aaditya Gets Environment

First-time Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray was allocated the environment, tourism and protocol departments.

Putting speculation to rest, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was allocated the Finance portfolio, after 36 days since Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister.

(Photo: PTI)

After much delay, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, 5 January, announced all key portfolio allocations in the Maharashtra cabinet, with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar being handed the finance portfolio.

The announcement comes six days after CM Uddhav Thackeray expanded his cabinet by inducting 36 ministers. His son, first-time Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, has been allocated the environment, tourism and protocol departments.

Speculations that either Ajit Pawar or Jayant Patil of the NCP would get the Home department were laid to rest, with the portfolio being handed to their party colleague Anil Deshmukh.

Senior NCP leader Jayant Patil was given charge of irrigation development while Jitendra Awhad has been given the housing development portfolio.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was handed the public works department and Balasaheb Thorat bagged the revenue department.

With this allocation of portfolios, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has got most of the 'plum' ministries.

‘It’s Been a Month’

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, had been facing criticism from the opposition BJP for the delay in the allocation of portfolios despite being in power for over a month now.

On Saturday, 4 January, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took jibes at the Maha Vikas Aghadi after Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar was allocated a junior ministry position and reportedly offered to step down.

“A month’s time was taken for the expansion of the ministry. Even after a week, they are unable to allot portfolios. And now even before portfolio allotment takes place, one minister has already resigned. This is the beginning of the fall of this government,”

Devendra Fadnavis, former Maharashtra Chief Minister

Shiv Sena leader Abdul Sattar refuted reports of his resignation from the Maharashtra ministry, adding that he will talk to CM Thackeray first.

“I have not resigned. I am going to talk to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree. After that, whatever decision will be taken by the CM, we will accept it,” he said.

Chief Minister Thackeray and six of his council members - two each from the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - took oath on 28 November.

Full List of Cabinet Portfolio Allocations:

• CM Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena) - General Administration Department, IT, Law and Judiciary
• Deputy CM Ajit Pawar (NCP) - Finance and Planning
• Balasaheb Thorat (Congress) - Revenue Ministry
• Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena) - Tourism, Environment and Protocol
• Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) - Urban Development Department, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation
• Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) - Industries
• Ashok Chavan (Congress) - Public Works Department
• Anil Deshmukh (NCP) - Home
• Amit Deshmukh (Congress) - Medical Education and Cultural Affairs
• Dhananjay Munde (NCP) - Social Justice
• Uday Samant (Shiv Sena) - Higher and Technical Education
• Anil Parab (Shiv Sena) - Transport and Parliamentary Affairs
• K.C. Padvi (Congress) - Tribal Affairs Department
• Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) - Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection
• Dilip Walse-Patil (NCP) - Labour, Excise Departments
• Jayant Patil (NCP) - Irrigation Department
• Hasan Mushreef (NCP) - Rural Development
• Vijay Vadettiwar (Congress) - OBC Ministry, Relief & Rehabilitation, Salt-pan Development

• Varsha Gaikwad (Congress) - School Education
• Yashomati Thakur (Congress) - Women and Children Welfare
• Sunil Kedar (Congress) - Animal Husbandry, Dairy development, Youth and Sports
• Dada Bhuse (Shiv Sena) - Agriculture
• Sanjay Rathod (Shiv Sena) - Forest
• Gulabrao Patil (Shiv Sena) - Water Supply and Sanitation
• Sandipan Bhumre (Shiv Sena) - Employment Guarantee and Horticulture
• Aslam Sheikh (Congress) - Textile, Fisheries and Ports
• Shankarrao Gadakh (Independent) - Water Conservation
• Balasaheb Patil (NCP) - Cooperation
• Rajesh Tope (NCP) - Public Health Department
• Nawab Malik (NCP) - Minority Affairs
• Jitendra Awhad (NCP) - Housing
• Rajendra Shingne (NCP) - Food & Drugs Administration
• Nitin Raut (Congress) - Power

Full List of Minister of State Portfolio Allocations:

• Abdul Sattar (Shiv Sena) - Revenue, Rural development, Port, Salt pans
• Satej Patil (Congress) - Home (Urban), Housing, Transport, IT, Parliamentary Affairs
• Shambhuraje Desai (Shiv Sena) - Home (Rural), Finance, Excise, Skill Development, Marketing
• Bachchu Kadu (Prahar Party) - Irrigation, School Education, Women and child Welfare, Labour, OBC Ministry
• Dattatraya Bharne (NCP) - PWD, Forest, Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, General Administration
• Vishwajeet Kadam (Congress) - Cooperation, Agriculture, Social Justice, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Minority Development and Marathi Language Development
• Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar (Independent) - Public Health, Medical Education, FDA, Textiles
• Sanjay Bansode (NCP) - Environment, MSRDC, Employment Guarantee, Parliamentary Affairs, Water Supply and Sanitation
• Prajakt Tanpure (NCP) - Urban Development, Power, Tribal Affairs, Higher and Technical Education, Relief and Rehabilitation, Disaster Management
• Aditi Tatkare (NCP) - Tourism, Industries, Protocol

(With inputs from PTI)