Ajit Pawar finance, Aaditya Thackeray turns green

Mumbai: More than a month after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with six ministers, state Cabinet portfolios were finally announced on Sunday.

While the Sena managed to lay claim to the all-important posts, it is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that is dominating the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state by successfully securing plum portfolios such as the home, finance and housing ministries.

In the earlier allocation, the Sena kept the home department with itself. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, however, sprang a surprise by allotting the home portfolio to his trusty lieutenant Anil Deshmukh, overlooking the claims of many senior party leaders. The home department is considered very crucial to the maintenance of law and order in the state. The 69-year old Deshmukh, a five-time MLA from Katol in Nagpur district, has a large experience of being a minister.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has been given charge of the finance department. Sharad Pawar allotted the housing and rural development berths to his loyalists Jitendra Awhad and Hasan Mushrif respectively.

Sena leaders, on the other hand, received less important departments. Mr Thackeray kept the general administration, information technology, public relations and law portfolios, whereas Eknath Shinde has been given urban development and public works.