Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: Portfolio allocation to ministers by Thursday evening, says Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the allocation of portfolios to newly-inducted ministers will be done by Thursday evening. 

A total of 36 ministers, including Cabinet Minister and Minister of State ranks, took oath on December 30. 

"I had said yesterday also that things are clear as far as portfolio distribution to ministers is concerned, by the end of today, allocation of portfolios will be done," Pawar who was sworn in as deputy of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said. 

Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray and former chief minister Ashok Chavan also took oath as Cabinet ministers. This is the first time in Maharashtra that a father-son duo has found a place the state’s Council of Ministers.

NCP leaders Nawab Malik, Dilip Walse Patil, Dhananjay Munde, and Congress’ Vijay Wadettiwar were also inducted into the Cabinet.

Last month, the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena coalition formed government in Maharashtra and six ministers - two each from the three alliance partners - took oath along with chief minister Thackeray. 

On November 23, Ajit Pawar had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister under then BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the two-man government could last just 80 hours as Pawar resigned. 

BJP and Shiv Sena fought the elections together and had a comfortable majority to form the government but the two parties didn't reach any consensus on the '50-50 formula' that led to the break-up of ties.