Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Ajit Pawar gets Finance, Dhananjay Munde gets Agriculture

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Ajit Pawar getting the powerful Finance Ministry and Dhananjay Munde getting Agriculture.Aditi Tatkare got the Women and child development portfolio. Anil Patil got the Relief and rehabilitation portfolio. Dilip Walse Patil got the co-operatives ministry, while Chhagan Bhujbal got food and civil supplies.

Dharmarao Atram was given Drugs and Administration. Hasan Mushrif got Medical Education, and Sattar was given Minority development. Sanjay Bansode was allocated the state sports ministry.

Some earlier reports had said that Pawar was set to handle the state Finance Ministry in spite of objections from the Shinde Sena faction. Pawar and eight other MLAs were sworn in last Sunday, but the portfolios were still not allotted as there was anger in the Shiv Sena camp over the NCP's induction into the government. BJP had made it clear to Shiv Sena that Ajit Pawar would be given the finance portfolio.

BJP leaders said that with the NCP leadership tussle still on and around a dozen MLAs still with the Sharad Pawar camp, Ajit Pawar would need a powerful portfolio to send a positive message to those MLAs supporting the Sharad Pawar faction. Shiv Sena MLAs were upset with the induction of the NCP into the government as they believe that the NCP would play the big brother's role as they had done during the Maha Vikas Aghadi tenure. Sena MLAs had met chief minister Shinde after the swearing-in of Ajit Pawar and others and asked him to oppose Ajit Pawar from getting the finance portfolio.