Mumbai: The NCP has formally asked for the finance portfolio back, nine months after the department was left with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis following the death of party chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January this year.
A delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar met Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, on Sunday evening, after a meeting of the party's core committee at her bungalow, Devgiri. The delegation included ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde, Hasan Mushrif and Jay Pawar.
"We said it's been a long time now, and the finance portfolio that we had should now be given to our party again. There have been discussions among our MLAs over this. We felt it was not right to have separate discussions and speculation. Therefore, we have had positive discussions with CM Fadnavis on these issues," Bhujbal told reporters afterwards.
He said the Chief Minister had told the delegation that the NCP would get the department, but that the state was in the middle of a drought and arrangements had to be made for funds first. Asked whether a deadline had been set, Bhujbal said no specific date was given but that the party expected the portfolio before the winter session of the legislature, due in December.
The portfolio was originally assigned to Ajit Pawar when the BJP-led Mahayuti government was formed. After his death, Fadnavis took charge, citing the preparation and presentation of the state budget in March, and has held it since. Sunetra Pawar currently holds excise, sports and youth welfare, and minority affairs.
Bhujbal used the occasion to shut down two rounds of speculation. There would be no cabinet reshuffle, he said, despite talk that four or five ministers could be replaced. And there was no discussion with the Chief Minister about a merger of the two NCP factions. In September, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had said his party would not merge with any outfit for the sake of power.