Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Ajit Pawar to oversee Finance & Planning, other NCP ministers to handle key portfolios

After nearly two weeks of negotiations and disagreements, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has secured important portfolios for his party in the Maharashtra government. Pawar himself will be in charge of the Finance and Planning department, a position previously held by Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

In addition to Finance and Planning, the breakaway NCP group has also been assigned key portfolios. Dilip Walse-Patil will handle Cooperation, Dhananjay Munde will oversee Agriculture, Hasan Mushrif will be responsible for Medical Education, Chhagan Bhujbal will handle Food and Civil Supplies, Aditi Tatkare will handle Women and Child Development, Anil Patil will be in charge of Relief and Rehabilitation, Dharmaraobaba Atram will oversee Food and Drug Administration, and Sanjay Bansode will handle Sports and Youth Welfare as well as Ports.

These portfolios were previously held by various BJP ministers. Girish Mahajan and Atul Save, who were in charge of Medical Education and Sports and Youth Welfare respectively, have been given Tourism and Housing. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who held Women and Child Development, and Ravindra Chavan, who was responsible for Food and Civil Supplies, have been replaced by NCP ministers.

Other portfolios previously held by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Shiv Sena party include Relief and Rehabilitation (now held by Sanjay Rathod), Food and Drug Administration (now held by Abdul Sattar), and Ports (now held by Dada Bhuse). Rathod will also take charge of the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Sattar will handle the Minority and Marketing departments, and Bhuse will oversee the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.

These changes in portfolio assignments have resolved the impasse over the cabinet expansion and ensured that promises made to the NCP have been fulfilled.