Berth pangs

With the most powerful portfolios going to the NCP, there is palpable discontent among many Shiv Sena and Congress legislators

- DNYANESH JATHAR

AN INTERESTING WHATSAPP message is doing the rounds of the Mantralaya in Mumbai these days. Loosely translated from Marathi, it reads, “Following is the list of work done by the government after being sworn in: a) Distribution of bungalows to ministers; b) Distribution of cabins to ministers; c) Allocation of portfolios; d) Pacifying unhappy legislators... You may not believe it, but all this is being done for the welfare of farmers.’

The coalition government of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress might blame the BJP’s social media warriors for the message, but the time Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took for cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation was so long—he and six other ministers were sworn in on November 28, Maharashtra got its full cabinet on December 30 and the portfolios were finally allotted on January 5—that people were wondering whether they really needed a government for the state to function.

Coming to the allocation of portfolios, the NCP emerged the clear winner, pocketing key departments such as home, finance, irrigation, rural development, cooperation, social justice and housing. The Shiv Sena may have its chief minister, but in terms of key portfolios it has only urban development, agriculture, a portion of the public works department that deals with big infrastructure projects, and environment and tourism for Aaditya Thackeray. The Congress got revenue, PWD, energy and some other low-profile departments.

The NCP’s ministers would effectively control more than half of the state’s budget. And, with party leaders such as Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip WalsePatil and Anil Deshmukh cornering crucial portfolios, it remains to be seen how much of a lasting impact Thackeray can make.