Plum portfolios to NCP in Maharashtra |
After a month long wait, cabinet portfolios of the newly formed Uddhav Thackeray government in the Indian state of Maharashtra were announced on Sunday. Shiv Sena managed to claim on most important posts, but the plum posts went to the Nationalist Congress Party which secured portfolios such as the home, finance and housing ministries. In the earlier allocation, Shiv Sena had kept the home department with itself. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, however, sprang a big surprise by allotting the home portfolio to his trusty lieutenant Anil Deshmukh, overlooking the claims of many senior party leaders. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was given charge of the finance department. In an attempt to promote a second-rung leadership, Sharad Pawar has allotted the housing and rural development berths to his loyalists Jitendra Awhad and Hasan Mushrif respectively. Uddhav Thackeray kept the general administration, information technology, public relations and law portfolios with himself, while Eknath Shinde has been given urban development and public works (public undertakings). Aditya Thackeray got the environment and tourism departments. Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat got the revenue ministry while his party colleague, and former chief minister Ashok Chavan, got the public works department (excluding public undertakings).
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