Mumbai: Though the stalemate over portfolio allocation continues, the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners —Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — have reached an understanding on 13:13:10 formula to distribute among themselves the responsibility of district guardian minister.
Party with more legislators will get the post of district guardian minister. There are 36 districts in the state.
Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, and Aurangabad districts will have Shiv Sena district guardian minister, while NCP to hold Pune and Nashik and Congress Nagpur and Amravati.
These parties hope to regain their lost grounds and simultaneously checkmate BJP in the respective districts. MVA alliance partners are jointly contesting the Zilla Parishad election and also want to repeat the state-level power-sharing formula in the ensuing civic elections too.
District guardian minister plays an important role in the finalisation of district development plan and its implementation.
Shiv Sena has 56 members in the state assembly, NCP 54 and Congress 44. Based on these numbers, Shiv Sena has 15 ministerial berths including Chief Minister, NCP 16, including the deputy CM post, and Congress 12.
Meanwhile, Congress is still making a strong case for the allocation of people-centric portfolio. On Wednesday, Congress ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok, Vijay Wadettiwar held marathon meeting with Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai and NCP DY CM Ajit Pawar. However, three parties are yet to arrive at an understanding.
Congress has got revenue, energy, public works, schools education, tribal affairs portfolios. However, the party is keen to get agriculture or rural development or ports or mining from Shiv Sena and NCP. Congress has left the decision to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Congress sources told FPJ that the portfolio allocation is likely to be announced only on Monday.
