Deputy Chief Minister to control administration in Maharashtra; Fadnavis gets home, finance departments, CM Shinde to handle urban development

MUMBAI: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will handle the key departments in the Maharashtra Cabinet. While Fadnavis was allocated the home and finance ministry, Chief minister Eknath Shinde got the urban development portfolio. Eknath Shinde government was sworn in a week ago. The difference between the BJP and the Shiv Sena led to the delay in announcing the portfolios.

The inclusion of former Maharashtra minister Sanjay Rathod in the cabinet last week had invited opposition from the BJP. The BJP had earlier accused Sanjay Rathod of being involved in the suicide of a Tik Tok star in Maharashtra. Following this, Sanjay Rathod resigned from Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet under pressure from the BJP. BJP state vice-president Chitra Wagh has criticised for inducting Sanjay Rathod into the new cabinet.

Several BJP members had pointed out the inappropriateness of including Sanjay Rathod in the cabinet where Devendra Fadnavis, who had made strong allegations against Rathod will be the Deputy Chief Minister. But when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gave firm support to Sanjay Rathod, the discomfort within the government came out. Shinde's stand was that Rathod's innocence was proved during the previous cabinet and therefore there is no problem in him becoming the minister.