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Days after appearing to surprise by expanding the cabinet and including Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs, the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government is likely to absorb lawmakers from Sena and the Communist Party-led BJP as ministers this week.
While the BJP has denied that four to five of its ministers have offered to resign in anticipation of the reshuffle, Shinde Sena is raising the playing field against Ajit Pawar, who has been given the finance portfolio, and also shares the Dy CM position with Fadnavis.
“Speculations that some of our ministers have offered to resign or have already resigned are not true,” Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Keshav Upadi told the Indian Express.
The Ajit Pawar-led National Congress Party, which joined the coalition government last Sunday, hopes the eight sworn-in ministers will receive portfolios. Sanjay Tatkar, a spokesperson for Ajit Pawar, said, “We expect at least four MLAs to be included in the government, but nothing can be said at this point when discussions on cabinet expansion are underway.”
Portfolio allocation has been suspended for a week now as Shinde Sena has raised objections to certain allocations. Shinde and Fadnavis met one-on-one on Friday, as Ajit Pawar was not present. Sources said she had discussed including Shinde-Sena MLAs in the government, as well as opposing Ajit Pawar being given the Finance Ministry.
The lawmakers led by Shinde who abandoned Sena (UBT) said one of the reasons for their rebellion was that they were getting a raw deal by portfolio-handing Ajit Pawar, who held the finance ministry in the previous Maha Vikas Agadi government.
Shinde Sena also opposed the possibility of NCP minister Aditi Tatkar becoming the guardianship minister for Raigad district.
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