Sena-BJP fell out over power-sharing. What Maha Aghadi offering to Uddhav govt?
Mumbai: After the Shiv Sena getting the chief minister's post and Congress's Nana Patole assuming the chair of the speaker in the Maharashtra Assembly, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is likely to get several key ministeries.
Sources told NDTV that the NCP will get 16 of 43 positions in the cabinet, in addition to the Deputy Chief Minister's post.
Maha Vikas Aghadi, as NCP-Cong-Sena collectively call themselves, is yet to announce the cabinet power-sharing.
Sharad Pawar, who played a vital role in bringing together the ideologically incompatible Shiv Sena and the Congress has negotiated for taking one more ministerial position for his party than the Sena after Congress had its MLA - Nana Patole - elected to the Assembly Speaker's post on Sunday morning.
The NCP's Jayant Patil, who replaced then rebel Ajit Pawar as the legislature party leader, is likely to be the Home Minister in Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet. Patil is said to be a close aide of the NCP chief Sharad Pawar and had served this position for a brief period during the Congress-NCP government.
He was one of the two NCP leaders - the other was Chhagan Bhujbal - to be sworn-in alongside Uddhav Thackeray at Mumbai on Thursday.
Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar is expected to get Deputy Chief Minister's post. Ajit Pawar shocked party members by switching to the BJP in an overnight decision and created a week of uncertainty in the already chaotic Maharashtra politics.
On November 26, Ajit Pawar resigned as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, hours after the Supreme Court of India ordered an immediate floor test in the Maharashtra assembly.
A few hours later, Devendra Fadnavis also resigned as Pawar's resignation, deprived his government of a majority.
Key portfolio -- Revenue -- might go with the Congress. The party is expected to get 12 cabinet posts.
Shiv Sena, which parted ways with the BJP over power-sharing talks, is likely to get Urban Development Ministry.
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