No pact on portfolios yet, parties in a huddle

MUMBAI: Four days after Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAS were sworn in as ministers, no consensus has been reached on the allocation of ministerial berths, the reshuffle of departments or the contours of the power-sharing agreement

- Faisal Malik

Even as leaders said that they may look at a third expansion of the state cabinet before portfolios are distributed, chief minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis went into a huddle late on Thursday, hours after they attended an event at Raj Bhawan with President Droupadi Murmu.

BJP leaders in the know, who requested anonymity, said discussions may now involve both portfolio allocation and a cabinet expansion. "There is dissent in the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction over the inclusion of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction in the government. If that is the case, only after a round of expansion can portfolios be distributed," said a BJP functionary, requesting anonymity.

Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister on Sunday, and took oath with eight other legislators who were also sworn in as ministers, but their departments are yet to be allocated.