Vilasrao Deshmukh goes rural; Praful Patel gets elevation but loses wings

The Adarsh taint and the harsh reprimand of the Supreme Court over protection to the moneylender kin of a party MLA have not blighted the political ascent of Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The former chief minister landed the plum rural development portfolio along with the panchayati raj department in the cabinet reshuffle that took place on Wednesday. He held the heavy industries ministry earlier.

Both parties from the state’s ruling alliance — the Congress and the NCP — seemed to have scored big in the re-jig of ministers by prime minister Manmohan Singh. Gurudas Kamat, another Congress minister, was elevated as minister of state for home.    

He was the minister of state for communications earlier. Senior minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has succeeded in retaining his power portfolio.

Murli Deora has been divested of the ministry of oil and petroleum. But the party has retained him as a cabinet minister. He holds the company affairs ministry now.

For the NCP, some surprises were in store. Praful Patel, the party’s high profile minister, has been promoted to cabinet rank but stripped off the civil aviation portfolio. He handles the ministry of heavy industries now.

Party president Sharad Pawar retains the agriculture along with food and processing. The prime minister has relieved him of the charge of food and civil supplies and consumer affairs.