The long-pending portfolio allocation in Maharashtra was completed on Saturday evening, with Ajit Pawar retaining the finance portfolio and Eknath Shinde, who was lobbying for the home ministry, getting three ministries, including the Urban Development.
Now that the portfolio allocation is done, claims are being raised by Mahayuti allies for the post of guardian ministers. The latest to join the chorus is Shiv Sena's Bharat Gogawale, who has expressed hope that he will get the post of guardian minister of Raigad. But Gogawale has a tough competitor for the post as Aditi Tatkare, the daughter of Ajit Pawar's NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, is insistent on the guardian ministership of Raigad.
Gogawale, who got the Employment Guarantee, Horticulture, Salt Pan Land Development, told reporters he would soon be going to Raigad. "I am going to Raigad for the first time after getting the ministerial post. We want the post of guardian minister," Gogawale told local reporters.
However, Aditi Tatkare is unlikely to yield to the demand as she was the guardian minister for Raigad during the Mahavikas Aghadi government. Even then, Gogavale was against her holding the post. The dispute between Gogavale and Sunil Tatkare was playing out at the same time.
However, after the collapse of MVA, when the Mahayuti government took over, Uday Samant was made the guardian minister post of Raigad. In 2023, Ajit Pawar joined the Mahayuti along with his MLAs.
There is also a tug-of-war over Pune. While Ajit Pawar would want to be the guardian minister of Pune, senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil also has his eye on this guardian minister post. Patil has reportedly insisted that the post of guardian minister of an important district like Pune should remain with the BJP.
There are also questions over who - NCP's Dhananjay Munde or BJP's Pankaja Munde - will be the guardian minister in Beed. Both Shiv Sena's Sanjay Shirsat and BJP's Atul Save are vying for the post of guardian Minister in Sambhajinagar.
While Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will continue to try to maintain his dominance over Thane district, BJP wants the post for Ganesh Naik since most BJP MLAs are from the district.
In Satara, Shiv Sena's Shambhuraj Desai wants the post of guardian minister to remain with him while NCP has set its eye on it. BJP's Shivendranaraje Bhosale is also keen on the post of guardian mMinister.
The party will try to ensure that the guardian minister post of Nashik remains with the BJP. The NCP might insist on Manikrao Kokate to gain control over the politics in the district.
However, 16 districts have not been represented in the cabinet.