Pune: A reshuffle of the state cabinet is on the cards following the demise of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who held finance along with a few other portfolios, and a search has begun for senior NCP politicians to fill his shoes.Considering the ill health of Chhagan Bhujbal and the resignations of cabinet ministers Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate, the party’s best bet is Dilip Walse Patil. But it will still be a challenge to hold on to those berths, party sources said.
Speculation is rife that with the likely merger of the two NCPs, Jayant Patil, a senior NCP (SP) politician and a former finance minister, could also be a contender, political observers said. Patil, former NCP (SP) state president, on Wednesday said it was Ajit Pawar who was keen on the reunion, and in fact he held a series of meetings with Patil to discuss the idea. Patil also said the decisive step was to be taken after the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti polls scheduled for Feb 5.Now, with his untimely death, the entire political equations have changed. Contemporary to Pawar in state politics, Patil too has a mass base and has also served as finance minister for several terms. An NCP (SP) office-bearer said, “A merged NCP can once again strengthen its position not only in Maharashtra but also at the Centre by adding eight Lok Sabha MPs to the NDA tally. In that case, Sharad Pawar’s loyalists like Jayant Patil and Rohit Pawar could get cabinet berths in the Mahayuti govt.” Ajit Pawar was to present the budget for 12th time, a record in Maharashtra, next month. Following his death in a plane crash at his hometown, Baramati, on Wednesday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to handle the finance department and present budget for the next financial year.Apart from finance, Ajit Pawar looked after the excise department. Recently, a sessions court in Nashik upheld his party colleague Manikaro Kokate’s two-year conviction. After Kokate resigned as a cabinet minister, his portfolios of sports, minority development and Aukaf came to Ajit Pawar as well.NCP will undoubtedly try its best to have these portfolios allocated to party legislators, but a dearth of leaders will make the task difficult. “Ajit Pawar was the lone pillar on which NCP in Mahayuti was standing. Even after Munde and Kokate resigned, he was the party’s strong face in the cabinet and he proved it by successfully handling multiple departments. Now, there is a sudden void in the leadership after his demise, which weakened the party’s position. In such a scenario, it will be hard for NCP to keep these portfolios with itself,” a senior NCP functionary told TOI.Bhujbal, a cabinet minister looking after the food, civil supplies and consumer protection department, is the second strongest leader in NCP after Ajit Pawar. However, he has not been keeping well for some time.
