Maharashtra politics: Portfolios awaited, however, ministers get offices and homes

Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde have been allotted houses opposite Mantralaya. File pics

Even as portfolio allocation is on hold, the new ministers were given offices at Mantralaya on Tuesday. In the allocation of official residences, most senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ministers will get accommodations near Mantralaya that are considered smaller and low-profile, because the palatial Malabar Hill bungalows are occupied by the Shiv Sena-BJP ministers who were sworn in last year.

Chhagan Bhujbal (B-6), Hasan Mushrif (C-8), Dilip Walse Patil (C-1), Dhananjay Munde (C-6) will be placed opposite Mantralaya. Generally, these bungalows are given to junior ministers. Bhujbal has spent most of his ministerial tenure at Malabar Hill's 'Ramtek', a sea-facing colonial style residence. Walse-Patil has rarely stayed away from Malabar Hill whenever he was a minister.

Same bungalow

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the then Opposition leader in the Assembly, was allowed to keep the bungalow he had while serving as a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. He will continue to use the same as a member of the Eknath Shinde cabinet. He has been given a sizeable office on the sixth floor where CM Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis have their offices. Dharamraobaba Atram (Suruchi-3), Anil Patil (Suruchi-8) and Sanjay Bansode (Suruchi-18) got their apartments in a high-rise near Mantralaya. The only woman minister, Aditi Tatkare, is expected to get a residence later.

Portfolios, expansion?

There was talk that the portfolios would be allocated only after another Cabinet expansion in which more ministers - senior and junior - would be inducted ahead of the Monsoon Session beginning next Monday. Shiv Sena (Shinde) chief whip Bharat Gogawale said the Cabinet expansion was in the pipeline, and he was confident of getting a berth in the Shinde cabinet. "My name was there in last year's final list, but somehow I was asked to wait against a promise that I would be accommodated in the next expansion. I am sure I will get in this time."

Commenting on the delay in portfolio allocation, Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant told reporters on Tuesday that the speculations were wrong. "The three leaders (Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar) know the balance. All the information going out in public is wrong. The leaders will find an amicable solution on the basis of seniority and abilities. It is but natural that we will have to give up something for the new partner. We are together for the motto of realising Narendra Modi's vision of development," he said. According to Samant's party colleague and a ministerial aspirant, Sanjay Shirsat, their leaders (the CM and Dy CMs) had a prolonged meeting Monday night.