Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has staked a claim on the housing department in the soon-to-be-formed Maharashtra state government.
Pawar arrived in New Delhi late Monday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah with a wishlist for the upcoming cabinet formation, sources said, The Indian Express reported.
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“We are not making any unreasonable demands. When we decided to join BJP-Sena government two and half years ago, the housing department was to be given to NCP,” a senior NCP leader said, requesting anonymity.
The leader added that the housing department is at the top of Pawar’s list of demands and should be handed to the NCP alongside their existing portfolios.
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Previously, the department was held by BJP leader Atul Save. In the earlier government led by CM Eknath Shinde, the NCP had nine ministers, including Pawar as deputy chief minister handling finance and planning.
The roster also featured Chhagan Bhujbal (food and civil supplies), Dilip Walse-Patil (cooperation), Hasan Mushrif (medical education), Dharmarao Atram (food and drug administration), Dhananjay Munde (agriculture), Aditi Tatkare (women and child development), Anil Patil (relief and rehabilitation), and Sanjay Bansode (youth, sports, and ports).
Pawar has made it clear that the next chief minister will come from the BJP, with his party’s MLAs backing Devendra Fadnavis for the role.