Cong-NCP ministry in Maharashtra to be expanded on Thursday

Jitendra Avad, Amit Deshmukh may get ministerial berth

The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government in Maharashtra would be expanded on Thursday, according to a statement from the Maharashtra Raj Bhavan. According to sources, NCP legislator Jitendra Awhad and Congress legislator Amit Deshmukh would most likely be inducted into the Prithviraj Chavan-led ministry. Both might get Cabinet rank.

Awhad, a close confidant of NCP chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, was elected to the state Assembly from the Muslim-dominated Mumbra constituency in Thane district in 2009. He was appointed the executive president of the Maharashtra NCP unit in June 2013.

Awhad, who has been a familiar NCP face, has been at the forefront to take on the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance. Awhad would fill up the NCP’s cabinet minister quota after party minister Vijaykumar Gavit resigned following his daughter, Heena, getting a nomination from the BJP in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. “Awhad’s induction is a message to the party rank and file that the NCP will replace the old guard and give priority to the youth in the coming Assembly elections,” an NCP leader, who did not want to be named, told Business Standard.

On the other hand, Amit Deshmukh, a son of former chief minister, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh is a low-profile leader elected to the state Assembly from the Latur seat in Marathwada in 2009 Assembly polls. His induction is being seen as a move to revive the Congress in Marathwada, where it faces a strong challenge from the Shiv Sena-BJP.

According to the understanding between the two parties, the Congress has 23 ministers in the state cabinet while the NCP has 20. Of the 23 Congress ministers, 15 currently are cabinet ministers including Prithviraj Chavan and five are ministers of state. The Congress party can appoint three more ministers as it has not filled up after Chavan took over in November 2010.

In case of the NCP, of the 20 ministers, 15 are cabinet including deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five are ministers of state.