CM will take final call on all ministerial staff

TIGHT CONTROL | Ministers must seek prior approval from CMO before appointing staff ranging from PS to OSDs

- Kalpesh Mhamunkar

In a surprising turn of events, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken control of the ministerial staff appointment process, directing that all new staff -- ranging from private secretaries (PS) to officers on special duty (OSD) -- must be approved by him before any appointments are made. This new policy, which applies to ministers from the BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), and NCP (led by Ajit Pawar), has created waves of uncertainty across the corridors of power in Maharashtra.

On the final day of the assembly session, after completing the allocation of cabinet portfolios, Fadnavis laid down a clear directive: the ministers, including those from the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the Pawar-led NCP, can no longer appoint staff according to their own preferences. Instead, they must seek prior approval from the Chief Minister's office (CMO), a move that has caught many ministers and their aides off guard.