Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress party
(NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and former MP Praful Patel have reached Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah amidst deadlock in portfolio allocation.
The process of cabinet expansion has intensified in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, NCP leader Praful Patel, after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah, said that it was a formal meeting. We have not come here with any issue.
Nationalist Congress Party’s working president Praful Patel said that if we had issues, we would not have joined the government at all. It was a courtesy call. It was only a review meeting. It has nothing to do with politics. Patel said that he keeps coming to Delhi anyway.
Earlier, talking to the media on reaching Delhi, Praful Patel rejected the reports of any rift in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance in Maharashtra. He said the issue of allocation of portfolios has been resolved and a cabinet will be formed. There will be expansion in the state in a day or two. Significantly, the political change in Maharashtra on July 2 had shocked the whole country. Along with Ajit Pawar, a total of nine NCP MLAs took oath as ministers in the Maharashtra government. Departments have not been divided yet. Eknath Shinde, BJP and Ajit Pawar’s faction are included in the government of Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar claims that more NCP leaders will join him in the coming times.
In June last year, Eknath Shinde took oath as the CM of Maharashtra. At that time, 18 ministers were included in the Maharashtra government. According to the rules, there can be a maximum of 43 ministers in Maharashtra.
