Mumbai/Nagpur: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar‘s portfolios will move by default to CM Devendra Fadnavis as he is head of the state cabinet and govt. Sources said any formal notification would be issued once the three-day mourning period is over.However, with the budget session round the corner, govt is bound to feel Ajit Pawar’s absence. Minister of state (finance) Ashish Jaiswal told TOI that while Pawar’s loss is irreplaceable in the realm of politics and governance, Fadnavis seems to be the only minister capable of “handling the budget” in the given circumstances. But he qualified his remarks by adding that NCP held two vital portfolios – Finance and Agriculture – and consultations would still have to take place between the allies before the budget session.The state budget session begins from Feb 23 and the budget will be presented in the first week of March. Jaiswal said a series of meetings were to be held in the run-up to the budget from Feb 6 onwards after the zilla parishad elections in the state. Jaiswal, a Sena (Shinde) leader and the Ramtek MLA, said, “Dada’s demise is a big loss for Maharashtra. Meetings related to the budget were scheduled from Feb 6 and I was looking forward to working under his guidance. I cannot believe he’s no more. As of now it seems CM Fadnavis is the best option to handle the budget.”The district planning committees (DPC) are finalizing their expenditure plans following which the finance department honchos are supposed to focus on the overall state, Jaiswal said, adding the Maharashtra budget can be prepared only after district estimates come in. “Our meetings also got delayed due to local body polls and code of conduct.”“From next week, Ajit dada was gearing up to streamline everything,” said Jaiswal. On Pawar’s working style, Jaiswal said ‘discipline’ was the hallmark. “Dada was always punctual. Every meeting would start on time no matter what. Regardless of his busy schedule and travel itinerary, dada would always be on time. Also, there was clarity in thought. A yes means yes, and similarly he would clearly say ‘No’ to things which could not be done. Dada was decisive, never kept things status quo,” said Jaiswal.Ajit Pawar was to present his 12th state budget this year. It would have made him the finance minister who presented the highest number of budgets in the state after Sheshrao Wankhede, who presented the budget 13 times. Pawar was already in second place with 11 budgets, followed by Jayant Patil (10) and Sushilkumar Shinde (9).
