Nagpur: For the first time in Maharashtra’s history, a legislative session was conducted with ministers not being assigned any particular work. The week-long winter session concluded in the second capital on Saturday. But, instead of ascribing any reason for the delay, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, in his session-end media briefing said rather cryptically: “The way is clear for portfolio allotment. You can expect it tonight or by tomorrow.”
Sources said Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawarmet over breakfast on Saturday. In the half-an-hour meeting before the proceedings on the final day of the week-long, the three who also lead their respective parties-the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, are believed to have finally sorted out the messy tangle of ministry allocation.
While Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath and formed the government on December 5, 33 cabinet ministers and six ministers of state were sworn in on December 15, hours before the winter session was to commence here the next day. The big casualty of this dithering by the new Mahayut government was that the session had to skip the Question Hour on all the six says it functioned.
Question Hour is the platform for members of both the houses to raise crucial issues concerning their constituencies and to get government’s commitments. But with no ministries allotted this privilege was unavailable.
Thanks to a depleted opposition which had no numbers or voice to put the government on the mat, the government managed to sail through the proceedings. While there was no official explanation for delay, it is believed that it was done to avoid more displeasure and discontent. Already the Mahayuti incurred the wrath of several leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and Sudhir Mugantiwar for not being hoven ministerial berths and so avoided ruffling more feathers.
