BJP, Sena, NCP settle on 22-11-10 Maha split

Mahayuti's power-sharing pact

- HT Correspondent

MUMBAI: Maharashtra's three-party ruling coalition on Wednesday hammered out an agreement for power-sharing, people aware of discussions said, but some disputes lingered as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flew to Delhi to finalize his council of ministers.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get 22 berths, including home and revenue, the Shiv Sena will get 11, including urban development, and the Nationalist Congress Party 10, including finance, said the people cited above. The pact was stitched together at meetings between Fadnavis and his two deputies, Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, over the past few days.

The maximum size of the cabinet in Maharashtra is 43. "We are trying to resolve the dispute on the portfolios before the first cabinet expansion," said a BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

But disagreements persisted. The three allies sought the intervention of central BJP leaders on certain contentious issues, including disputes over certain departments.