Maha portfolio allocation may be delayed due to Congress demands

Mumbai: Portfolio allocation in the Maharashtra Cabinet, which was expanded on Monday, a month after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in, may be delayed further as the Congress has woken up, rather belatedly, to the realisation that it has received the worst deal among the three parties and is demanding more portfolios.

The Congress is demanding agriculture, rural development or co-operation portfolios. Multiple meetings were held by the leaders of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena to hammer out a compromise.

On Wednesday, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan held meetings with Uddhav Thackeray and NCP’s Ajit Pawar. There may be some reallocation of portfolios following these meetings. Even the NCP is seeking some portfolios from the Sena. The rural development and co-operation portfolios are with the NCP while agriculture is with the Shiv Sena. The Congress is demanding two of these departments but is willing to settle for one –– either rural development or agriculture.


“Rural development or agriculture allows the party to establish its base. If you don’t have these portfolios, then constituencies where the Congress is strong could be starved of funds and projects, thereby hurting the party,” a Congress leader said.

“The Shiv Sena has got the chief minister’s post, while the NCP has got the deputy chief minister’s post. We haven’t got anything. If you look at the portfolios, it is clear that we don’t have any influence in the government at all,” the Congress leader said. Incidentally, Shiv Sena’s mouth piece ‘Saamana’ on Wednesday said it would not give up the agriculture portfolio.

Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat, who is also a cabinet minister, told reporters on Wednesday that grassroots Congress workers want better portfolios to be allotted to the party. Sources in the party said many senior Congress leaders have complained to the Congress high command that the state leadership did not bargain well on portfolios following which the Congress leadership in the state is bargaining for more.