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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP chief JP Nadda met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence late on Wednesday. The meeting came amid speculation over the allocation of portfolios after the Mahayuti government took office last week following a thumping victory in the Assembly polls.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was not present at the meeting with Amit Shah, sources from his office said. According to sources, discussion of portfolio allocation with the top BJP brass was likely during Fadnavis’s Delhi visit. A senior BJP leader told news agency PTI that the cabinet expansion may take place on December 14.
The BJP leader also said the Shiv Sena would not get the home department and was also unlikely to be allocated the revenue portfolio.
“The cabinet expansion is likely by December 14. The allocation of home department to Shiv Sena is ruled out. The Shiv Sena may get urban development, but is unlikely to get revenue,” said the leader, who did not wish to be named.
Talks on portfolio allocations were getting delayed because three parties (Mahayuti allies – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) were involved, the politician said.
The BJP is expected to keep 21 to 22 ministerial berths, including the chief minister’s post, the leader said, adding that four to five ministerial berths may be kept vacant.
The Maharashtra cabinet can have a maximum of 43 ministers, including the Chief Minister.
Shiv Sena MLA and spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said Fadnavis had made it clear that the portfolio allocations would take place before the winter session of the state Assembly, which begins from December 16.
Earlier on Wednesday, Fadnavis said he was going to Delhi on a courtesy visit, the first after becoming the Chief Minister and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
On December 5, Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister along with Shinde and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputies, after the Mahayuti alliance won 230 of the 288 Assembly seats in the November 20 polls.
FADNAVIS REPLACES SHINDE’S AIDE AS CHIEF MINISTER’S RELIEF FUND HEAD
On the other hand, Fadnavis has appointed Rameshwar Naik as the head of the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Naik replaced Mangesh Chivte, considered a close aide of former CM Eknath Shinde.
Chivte had been given the post after Shinde took over as the Chief Minister in June 2022. Naik earlier headed the medical aid cell of the Deputy Chief Minister when Fadnavis held the post.
The Chief Minister’s Relief Fund provides assistance to deserving families and individuals affected by natural calamities or the loss of life of relatives in accidents, or for treatment for major diseases.
SENA SAYS 3 LEADERS WON’T BE PART OF NEW CABINET
Amid speculation over portfolio allocation, a Shiv Sena leader said the party may not give three leaders in the new state cabinet another chance even though they were ministers in the previous government because of complaints about their performance and inaccessibility.
The party is likely to induct fresh faces in their place.
An aide of Shinde and party MLA said several legislators raised concerns over the three former ministers – one each from Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada – were inaccessible even to the party MLAs.
(with inputs from PTI)
