Congress' leader on Maha Cabinet portfolio: 'List given to CM, announcement anytime soon'

Congress Leader Nitin Raut on Saturday, January 4, said the infighting between party members over portfolio allocation has reportedly come to an end as the final list of Congress' portfolio has been submitted to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after getting a green signal from Party's interim President Sonia Gandhi.

Raut also expressed his disappointment as he was earlier given the Public works Department (PWD) Ministry but it will now go to Maharashtra's former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. He also mentioned that this decision was taken in order to keep Chavan happy.

Talking to Republic TV Raut said that, "It was an honour for me to be the first Dalit to take charge of the PWD ministry in the last 60 years it was an honour for me from my high command. Whatever grief I have, I will share that with my leadership but whatever they decide I will follow as disciplined party worker. Our list has been given to CM and I hope the formal announcement of portfolio distribution may happen anytime today."

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Tussle in Congress

The Maharashtra Cabinet expansion has reportedly broken a rift between a faction of Congress over the allocation of portfolios in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, with senior party leaders feeling that the loyalists are being ignored at the time when they deserve an opportunity.

Earlier on Wednesday, Maharashtra Minister Balasaheb Thorat disclosed that many MLAs wanted to be included in the Cabinet but there are fewer ministerial berths in the government.

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Discontent between the Congress party has also surfaced between Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat with both senior leaders reportedly demanding the Revenue and PWD portfolio. Sources further informed, Nitin Raut and Vijay Wadettiwar have placed their demand before CM Uddhav Thackeray for the PWD portfolio. On December 30, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inducted a total of 36 ministers in his one-month-old coalition government comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress. Seniors like Ashok Chavan, Vijay Wadettiwar and Sunil Kedar were among 10 Ministers of the Congress who found a place in the new government.

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