As Maharashtra's Cabinet formation remains in limbo, the clamour among coalition allies seeking ministerial posts only gets bigger. While Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde had to accept Deputy Chief Minister posts with reluctance, his MLAs aren't in any mood to ditch their aspirations for the Cabinet berth.
While the lobbying has begun for ministerial berths, Shinde is mulling introducing the rotation system to ensure that aspirants don't end up discontented. The plan is to share the minister posts for 2.5 years among two strong contenders, according to Loksatta.
This comes as Shiv Sena continues to bargain hard for plum portfolios in the Cabinet, much to the dismay of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who hopes to expand his cabinet by the end of the week.
The new government is likely to have 30-25 ministers, with BJP claiming 18 to 20. Shiv Sena was offered 11-12 but it insists on having at least two more. NCP was offered 9 to 11 ministers. The maximum sanctioned strength of the Maharashtra cabinet is 43.
Speculations are that all former ministers within Shiv Sena have expressed a desire for the posts. Senior leaders who missed out on the opportunity last time are also hopeful.
Some leaders have come openly to claim the posts. While Bharat Googawle has demanded that ministers of the previous government be kept away and new faces be given a chance, Pratap Sarnaik and Sanjay Shirsat have also revealed their ministerial ambitions to Shinde.
The BJP has reportedly asked Shiv Sena to not offer Abdul Sattar, Sanjay Rathod, Tanaji Sawant and Deepak Kesarkar another stint in the Cabinet. However, Shinde feels that Sawant and Abdul Sattar will not give up their claim easily, reported Loksatta.
Sena feels it cannot do much against Rathod, who has a strong support base. The only person who may step aside is Deepal Kesarkar. Hence, the party's top leadership is considering the rotation system so that new faces get a chance. However, it has to be seen how the MLAs would react to the suggestion.
Portfolio dilemma
Though the winter session will begin on Monday, not even the deputy chief ministers have been assigned their portfolios. This is severely limiting their ability to hold meetings. Though Shiv Sena continues to demand the home portfolio, the BJP has made it clear to Sena that it cannot give home ministry. There are also speculations that the parties would likely retain the portfolios they held before.
