Sharad Pawar set to reshuffle ministers portfolio; Ajit Pawar to lose deputy CM post

MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has decided to reshuffle the portfolios of his ministers in Maharashtra. After a lengthy meeting with senior ministers and MLAs on Friday, Pawar asked all ministers to hand over their resignations to him, a la Kamaraj plan of 1963. NCP sources said that Ajit Pawar was likely to be eased out of deputy chief minister's post and home minister RR Patil would be made NCP state president.

On Friday evening, Sharad Pawar met all ministers and some senior MLAs, at the official residence of state water resources minister Sunil Tatkare.

The three-hour meeting saw Pawar telling all 20 ministers of NCP, including deputy CM Ajit Pawar, to hand over their resignations to him.

Top NCP sources said Pawar will finalise the new portfolios and list of new entrants within the next four days. The new state president of NCP will be announced on June 15.

According to top leaders of the NCP, home minister RR Patil will take over as state president of NCP, as he had expressed the wish to work for the party.

Senior leader Babanrao Pachpute will take over as home minister and Ajit Pawar would be divested of his deputy CM post. Ajit Pawar had faced flak over his crass comments on the drought situation in Maharashtra a couple of months ago. NCP state president Madhukar Pichad is likely to be brought in as a Cabinet minister, while housing minister Sachin Ahir is likely to be given a very senior portfolio.

It is obvious that Sharad Pawar decided to make these changes because many NCP ministers face corruption charges. NCP minister Gulabrao Deokar faces charges in a corruption case filed by the state police in Jalgaon court while some other ministers also face serious allegations. Top sources in NCP told ET that Pawar also asked those who attended Friday's meeting to be ready to launch the party's election campaign soon.