Maharashtra Portfolios finalised: NCP scores big; Ajit Pawar gets finance, Anil Dehmukh new HM

Mumbai, Jan 05: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has approved the allocation of portfolios as proposed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Maharashtra minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil had earlier said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had sent the list of portfolios to be allocated to ministers to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday evening.

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government was facing criticism from opposition BJP for delay in the allocation of portfolios despite being in power for over a month now.

According to the list approved by the Chief Minister, his Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will head the finance and planning department and his son and Sena youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray will be the new environment, tourism and protocol minister. NCP leader Anil Deshmukh will be the new state home minister.

Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat has been allocated the revenue department while former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan will handle the public works department.

The urban development department which is considered as a key portfolio along with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation will be run by Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde. Jayant Patil is named as water resoruces (irrigation).

The NCP has not just got for itself most ministerial posts and also retained the most crucial of the departments for its ministers.

It may be recalled that it was reported that the portfolio distribution for delayed due to the over-ambition of Congress as the party wanted some important ministrties for its leaders.

Meanwhile, miffed over the non-inclusion of his name in the list of ministers from Maharashtra, Congress MLA from Jalna, Kailash Goryantal on Saturday said that he will quit the party along with his supporters.

Talking to ANI, Gorantyal said,"My supporters and I have decided to submit our resignation letters to the state party president. I have been elected as the MLA for the third time and I work for my people. Still, I have not been made a minister."

"I will meet Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Balasaheb Thorat and submit my resignation from party posts. Party members of the Jalna Municipal Council, Zilla Parishad will also submit their resignations along with me," he added. Gorantyal has won from the Jalna Assembly seat in 1999, 2009 and 2019 elections.

Uddhav Thackeray and six of his ministers took oath on November 28. The cabinet was expanded on December 30, but the allocation of portfolios was not done then.