After back-to-back meetings and visits to the national capital, the long-awaited portfolio allocation in the Maharashtra cabinet was announced on Friday afternoon.
Ajit Pawar's camp has bagged seven ministries other than Finance, which will be headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is a suspect in a money laundering case.
It's the same Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank case that PM Modi had recently mentioned during his speech while listing out the alleged scams labeled against the NCP. Besides, Dhananjay Munde has received the Agriculture portfolio. Dilip Valse Patil will be heading the Cooperative Department, while Dharmarao Atram will preside over the Food and Drug Administration Department.
The Sports Department will be overseen by Anil Bhaidas Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal has been given the Food Civil Supplies portfolio. Aditi Tatkare has been entrusted with the Women Child Welfare Department, while Sanjay Bansode has been allotted Sports.
NCP Leader Hasan Mushrif will look after the Medical Education Department. So now is everyone happy and merry in the Maha Yuti? Not at all.
On the contrary, sources in the Shiv Sena speaking to HW News have said that not many in the Shiv Sena liked the move of Ajit Pawar getting the finance ministry. And it's not something new we are talking about. Since CM Eknath Shinde's rebellion earlier in June 2022, he has repeatedly cited two reasons behind the rebellion:
1. Shiv Sena compromised on the ideology of party founder Bal Thackeray by aligning with the NCP and Congress.
2. Ajit Pawar, who held the finance portfolio during the MVA regime, did not allocate funds to Shiv Sena leaders for their constituencies in an attempt to politically destroy the Shiv Sena. Ironically, CM Shinde has to now accept both an alliance with the NCP as well as Ajit Pawar as finance minister.
Tensions do not end here for CM Shinde as the Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the office of the Speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on a plea seeking a direction to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions filed against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena MLAs who had tied up with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.
Now CM Shinde has two options: either go back to his previous boss Uddhav Thackeray, provided he accepts him back, or let things be as they are and wait for his son Shrikanth Shinde to be inducted into the Modi cabinet, which has been an old speculation.
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