Sena demands post of deputy chief minister, may be given 10 ministerial portfolios

MUMBAI: With the BJP blinking and returning to the talking table, the Shiv Sena on Saturday once again took a stern stand in negotiations between the two parties to forge an alliance.

READ ALSO: Day after, BJP ministers squabble for plum posts

Sena sources said that the party now wants an equitable share in the government, including the post of deputy chief minister.

At this stage, while it is not clear if such a position will be created, word has it that the Sena's demand for at least 10 ministerial portfolios, including cabinet berths, will be met.

The Sena is eyeing portfolios with a public profile such as health, education, labour, transport and the PWD, through which they can ensure quick delivery of projects and schemes.

Party sources said that Sena MP Anil Desai was in talks with Union minister Arun Jaitley. The talks between the two parties, they said, will continue over the next two days.

READ ALSO: Devendra Fadnavis speaks to TOI: I'm nice but can be ruthless

The Sena has also asked the BJP to announce the party's entry into the government before the trust vote in the state assembly on November 12.

"Now that Uddhavji has attended the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis, the ball is in BJP's court, as far as reuniting is concerned. But it should happen before the trust vote," Bharatkumar Raut, former Shiv Sena MP, said.

Sena leaders also met at Matoshree on Saturday and held crucial discussions.

Earlier, with the BJP not responding to the Sena's lowest offer of swearing in at least two of its legislators as ministers at Friday's function, the Sena leadership conveyed to the BJP on Thursday night that if the BJP doesn't budge they would announce their leader of opposition soon after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister.

With BJP realising that Sena had made up their mind to occupy the opposition benches in the Assembly, thus forcing BJP to bargain with independents and accept the NCP's `unconditional' support, the BJP leadership blinked and decided to reach out to the Sena.

READ ALSO: We will probe every scam, be it Adarsh or irrigation, Devendra Fadnavis says

Five phone calls were made to Matoshree in as many hours, including three by CM-designate Fadnavis, urging Uddhav to attend the swearing-in.Fadnavis reached out to Uddhav emotionally, asking him to attend since it was Balasaheb's dream to see their combined government rule Maharashtra once again. Delhi BJP leaders also sent positive signals to the Sena.
READ ALSO: Five calls in five hours: How Shiv Sena threat rattled BJP

"Since senior leaders reached out to us, we decided to respect their efforts.The alliance hasn't materialised yet, but we are now hoping that BJP will, for once, stay true to their word," a senior Sena leader told Mirror.

"We also wanted to show that we are not the ones who are egoistic. We have done our bit, now it is up to the BJP to honour their commitment and give us a respectable share in the government. If that doesn't happen, Novem ber 12 is not far away," he pointed out.

State BJP leaders confirmed that talks were on with the Sena. "After Sena president Uddhav Thackeray attended the oath-taking ceremony, talks with the Sena have been smooth so far," a senior BJP leader said. "The Sena is in touch with our central leadership, but things have yet to be finalised. We are expecting a positive outcome by next week," he added.

However, should the BJP still decide to keep the Sena out of the government, they will have to rely on NCP's support and also take along independents who have demanded ministerial posts and a host of seats on government corporations.

Earlier on Saturday, the new chief minister took a review of key government departments, including home, finance, power and agriculture. He chaired a five-hour Cabinet meeting, but deferred the allotment of portfolios to the newly sworn-in ministers.

In an unscheduled visit on Saturday afternoon, Fadnavis also paid respects to the late Sena supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray, at his garden memorial at Shivaji Park. However, no senior Sena leader was present during his visit to the site.

It is also learnt that the State Government will convene a special session of the legislature from November 10 to 12. The vote of confidence is likely to take place on November 12.

Fadnavis to redesign CMO on the lines of PMO

Appointing 1998 batch IAS officer Praveen Darade as secretary in his office, Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday revealed that he intends to redesign the Chief Minister's Office on the lines of the Prime Minister's Office .

"I am in the process of developing the chief minister's office on the lines of the Prime Minister's Office, wherein a set of select bureaucrats assist the ministers in case they are not able to carry out certain tasks," he said.

The strengthening of the CMO will remove bottlenecks and pendency of work would be reduced when bureau crats enter the scene to help ministers, Fadnavis added.

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Maharashtra cabinet portfolios announced; CM Devendra Fadnavis keeps home, housing

MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday allocated portfolios to his ten-member council of ministers while keeping the home, urban development, housing and health departments with himself.

READ ALSO: Devendra Fadnavis speaks to TOI: I'm nice but can be ruthless

As per the information provided by the CMO, the portfolios not specifically allocated to any minister will be with the chief minister.

Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse has been given revenue, minorities development and wakf, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries, and state excise.

Former state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar has been given finance and planning, and forest departments.

READ ALSO: Five calls in five hours: How Shiv Sena threat rattled BJP

Vinod Tawde will hold charge of school education and sports, higher and technical education, medical education, Marathi Bhasha and cultural affairs.

Prakash Mehta, the MLA from Ghatkopar East seat in Mumbai, has been given industries and mining, and parliamentary affairs.

Chandrakant Patil, an MLC, has been given co-operation, marketing and textiles. He will also handle the public works (including public undertakings) department.

Pankaja Munde, who was made the state BJP core committee member after the death of her father Gopinath Munde, will be in charge of rural development and water conservation, and women and child development.

READ ALSO: Sena demands post of deputy chief minister, may be given 10 ministerial portfolios

Vishnu Savara, the MLA from Vikramgadh seat in Palghar district, will be in charge of tribal development, social justice and special assistance.

Minister of state Dilip Kamble has been allotted tribal development, social justice and special assistance departments.

Besides, Vidya Thakur will be MoS for rural development and water conservation, and women and child development departments.

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Check-in system crashes at Mumbai airport, flights delayed

MUMBAI: The check-in system at terminal 1B of the domestic airport here collapsed on Sunday due to crashing of the server resulting in flight delays for some time causing inconvenience to passengers.

However, the system has now been restored and operations at the terminal are normal, a Mumbai International Airport Limited official said.

"The system remained down for 50 minutes due to which check-in could not take place through the computers and it was being done manually," he said.

The number of flights which got delayed due to the crashing of the system is yet to be ascertained, the official said.

Private carriers Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo operate flights from terminal 1B while national carrier Air India and budget carrier GoAir operate from terminal 1A of the city's domestic airport.

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Fadnavis to seek trust vote on November 12

MUMBAI: A three-day session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly will be held from November 10 in which the Devendra Fadnavis-led government will seek a vote of confidence.

The trust vote will be sought on November 12 after all the newly elected MLAs take oath. The protem Speaker will be elected on November 10, according to sources in the chief minister's office.
Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has given chief minister Fadnavis 15 days from the day of swearing-in of his government to prove its majority in the 288-member House.
After the death of an MLA, BJP's strength in the assembly has come down to 121, but it has claimed support of all seven independents and six others from smaller parties.
NCP with 41 MLAs has declared outside support to the BJP government and said it will abstain from voting on the trust motion if the 63-member Shiv Sena was to sit in the opposition, helping it sail through.
If Sena comes on board, the BJP government will have no problem proving its majority in the House.

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Day after, BJP ministers squabble for plum posts

MUMBAI: More than 24 hours after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister, seven others took oath as cabinet ministers and two as ministers of state, those at the helm of the new government had been unable to allocate portfolios because of intense wrangling over key ministries. No decision had been taken till the time of going to press Saturday night.

READ ALSO: Devendra Fadnavis speaks to TOI: I'm nice but can be ruthless

Sources said the BJP state unit's list, on which there had been no unanimity, was sent to the party's central leadership in New Delhi for approval. BJP chief Amit Shah is likely to resolve the imbroglio on Sunday, sources added.

Hectic consultations between Fadnavis and his senior cabinet colleagues went on till late Saturday evening, sources said, even as key Mantralaya bureaucrats waited for the portfolio list.

With his ministers vying for plum berths, it became difficult for Fadnavis to arrive at a final decision, sources said.

READ ALSO: We will probe every scam, be it Adarsh or irrigation: Devendra Fadnavis

Senior minister Eknath Khadse has been tipped for the crucial revenue or finance portfolio. He is also likely to get the agriculture ministry. Sources said the BJP is finding it difficult to fend off a man who, after the death of Gopinath Munde in June, is regarded as among the party's biggest state leaders and was a strong CM contender.

However, Fadnavis is keen on keeping the finance portfolio himself, given his deep interest in the subject. There are reports that the new CM is considering bringing out a white paper on the debt-ridden state's fiscal imbalance.

Vinod Tawde has been sounded out by the CM for education, tourism and the department of culture, it is learnt. Tawde may also get additional charge of the Marathi department.

Many ministers have set their sights upon the home department. Both Khadse and Tawde were keen on home, but Fadnavis is likely to keep that ministry with himself so that he has his finger on the law and order situation, said political analysts.

Pankaja Munde has been angling for the key energy and public works portfolios, sources said. The energy portfolio was with her father in the Sena-BJP government in the 1990s. It is also a delicate territory, given the recurrent power shortage in the state.

Sudhir Mungantiwar may get the co-operation portfolio which has added significance in Maharashtra's politics because of the Congress-NCP's clout in the co-operative sector, sources said.

READ ALSO: Five calls in five hours: How Shiv Sena threat rattled BJP

Vishnu Savra, the adivasi MLA from Vikramgad and a party veteran, is likely to get the tribal welfare department, which, sources said, has the largest budgetary allocation.

Chandrakant Patil is likely to be given rural development, while Prakash Mehta, also a party veteran, has been tipped for food and civil supplies.

There is a strong view within the BJP that the urban development department should be with the CM until the ministry is expanded.

Another view is that some important berths should be kept aside for the eventuality of Sena joining the government. BJP turned down Sena's demand for the speaker's post recognizing the trouble an "unfriendly" speaker can give a CM who does not have adequate numbers.

READ ALSO: Shiv Sena willing to give up demand for Speaker's post

But there is increasingly a realization in the BJP that the Sena will not settle for "peanuts," sources said.

Fadnavis's declaration in an exclusive interview to TOI that he would investigate the irrigation scam regardless of NCP support and Amit Shah's invitation to Uddhav over the phone for the swearing-in indicate that the BJP leadership is tilting towards letting the Sena in, sources pointed out.

Meanwhile, intense jockeying is on in the BJP for the cozy state-run corporations' chairmanships. Many senior BJP functionaries, including those who lost the recent assembly elections, have started lobbying for corporation captaincy.

The state has a slew of prestigious corporations such as the Maharashtra State Road Corporation, Maharashtra State Finance Corporation, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, CIDCO, Backward Class Commission and State Women's Commission, to name a few.

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Maharashtra Cabinet portfolios announced, CM keeps home, housing

MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday allocated portfolios to his ten-member council of ministers while keeping the home, urban development, housing and health departments with himself.

READ ALSO: Devendra Fadnavis speaks to TOI: I'm nice but can be ruthless

As per the information provided by the CMO, the portfolios not specifically allocated to any minister will be with the chief minister.

Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse has been given revenue, minorities development and wakf, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries, and state excise.

Former state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar has been given finance and planning, and forest departments.

READ ALSO: Five calls in five hours: How Shiv Sena threat rattled BJP

Vinod Tawde will hold charge of school education and sports, higher and technical education, medical education, Marathi Bhasha and cultural affairs.

Prakash Mehta, the MLA from Ghatkopar East seat in Mumbai, has been given industries and mining, and parliamentary affairs.

Chandrakant Patil, an MLC, has been given co-operation, marketing and textiles. He will also handle the public works (including public undertakings) department.

Pankaja Munde, who was made the state BJP core committee member after the death of her father Gopinath Munde, will be in charge of rural development and water conservation, and women and child development.

READ ALSO: Sena demands post of deputy chief minister, may be given 10 ministerial portfolios

Vishnu Savara, the MLA from Vikramgadh seat in Palghar district, will be in charge of tribal development, social justice and special assistance.

Minister of state Dilip Kamble has been allotted tribal development, social justice and special assistance departments.

Besides, Vidya Thakur will be MoS for rural development and water conservation, and women and child development departments.

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Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan granted divorce by family court

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan and estranged wife Sussanne formally ended their marriage on Saturday. A family court in Mumbai granted them divorce by mutual consent. Both had come in separate vehicles and left before 11 am. There were no signs of acrimony or bitterness.

Hrithik, revelling in the recent success of his film Bang Bang, and Sussanne had decided to end the marriage of 13 years on an amicable note and had filed for a mutual consent divorce six months ago in the court complex located in Bandra, close to their suburban home.

The common lawyers for both, Mrinalini Deshmukh and Dipesh Mehta, were also present, when the two entered the court premises. The settlement between the two was not detailed in the court papers, but both parted with an assurance that the agreement made outside court would be honoured.

Both will share custody of the children and will have a say and role in their upbringing.

The couple knew each other for over 17 years. They have two sons; Hrehaan is seven years old and Hridhaan is five and reside with their mother in Versova.

Hrithik, son of actor-director Rakesh Roshan, donned a hat and wore black, while Sussane wore a white collared t-shirt.

Both had released public statements last December that they were headed for a split.

Sussanne Khan at the court premises. (TOI Photo)

The mutual consent plea essentially stated that the couple could no longer reside together as husband and wife as irretrievable differences have cropped up and efforts to resolve it have had no effect. The marriage had broken down beyond repair and hence they were filing the plea.

In a mutual consent plea, there is a six month cooling off period at the end of which if neither side withdraws their consent, the court on finding that there was no coercion or collusion and existence of a genuine marital breakdown then grants a divorce.

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Cop turns Good Samaritan, rushes mishap victim to hospital

PALGHAR: Swift action by a police official in Maharashtra's Palghar district saved the life of a woman who was knocked down by a motorcyclist.

Palghar deputy superintendent of Police Suvez Haque was travelling in the Pan Batti area here on Thursday night when a 40-year-old woman, identified as Gulab Shankar Wagath of Dungipada, was hit by a motorcycle, a police officer said on Saturday.

Haque immediately stopped his car and rushed to help the badly injured woman.

He got her admitted to a nearby hospital where the woman is stated to be out of danger now, police said.

Meanwhile, the motorcyclist, Vaibhav Roopesh Vaze (18), and arrested by local police and charged under sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC and section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, a police officer said.

Local corporator Jitendra Pamle, who was also present at the spot at the time of the accident, said Haque's act would send a good message among the public about the police force.

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Informal air pervades Run for Unity in Mumbai

MUMBAI: An air of festivity prevailed over Marine Drive Friday morning. Thousands of students, senior citizens and volunteers joined the first ever 'Run for Unity' along the beachfront at 8.00am.

The nationwide event commemorates the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which falls October 31. The day will be celebrated annually as Rashtriya Ekta Divas. Prime minister Narendra Modi who looks up to Sardar as the Lohpurush or Iron Man is building a tall statue of the leader in Gujarat. It was Sardar Patel who had integrated disparate princely states to form the Union of India.

On Friday Devendra Fadnavis led the event as chief minister designate before taking oath at Wankhede Stadium later in the evening. Governor C V Rao administered the pledge of unity to the gathering.

Union Minister for information & broadcasting and environment Prakash Javadekar, energy minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state for food and consumer affairs Rao Saheb Danve mingled freely with the runners without a care for security or protocol.

Chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya, civic commissioner Sitaram Kunte, state director general of police Sanjeev Dayal and mayor Snehal Ambekar also participated in the run.

The city collectorate had invited students, NSS volunteers, women's self-help groups, corporate leaders and citizen's associations.

"It was a refreshing change to see ministers and bureaucrats ask for T-shirts and caps and wear them on stage. It was a classless event where commoners interacted freely with senior officials. That is the essence of unity after all," said Indrani Malkani, trustee of VCan (V Citizens Action Network). VCan was among the groups invited by the Collectorate, and drafted 50 runners within two days.

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Nine who made Fadnavis’s first cut

They are an eclectic mix: former leaders of opposition from the legislative assembly & council, an erstwhile president of the BJP's Maharashtra unit, the scion of a prominent political family, an astute RSS strategist, a first-time MLA as well as a six-term veteran, a tribal leader from the state's youngest district, besides OBC representatives. For now, the CM will steer the state with these seven men and two women.

Eknath Khadse | 62

Known as a no-nonsense leader. Was the Opposition's booming gun in the assembly as opposition leader from 2009. Has had a long innings in state politics. Held the crucial finance portfolio in the Shiv Sena-BJP government between 1995 and 1999. Khadse is also a big Sena baiter and was chosen as the man by the party leadership to break the news to Uddhav Thackeray that the BJP was discontinuing its alliance with the Sena after seatsharing negotiations failed before the October 15 assembly polls. Tried to lobby his case for chief ministership by saying that northern Maharashtra has never had its own CM, and claimed the people there demanded that someone from the region should lead the state. But did not succeed. Then tried again on the day of Fadnavis's election as legislature party leader. This was seen within the party as his attempt to position himself in such a way that he would get a plum portfolio.

Prakash Mehta | 55

This Ghatkopar East MLA will represent the crucial Gujarati quotient in the state cabinet. Has had a long innings in the party and this is his sixth term as legislator from the Gujarati-dominated constituency. Has served as Mumbai unit chief of the BJP; in that role, in 2007, he had demanded a separate ministry for Mumbai and had drawn criticism from the Shiv Sena which had then said that this would the first step towards separating Mumbai from Maharashtra. Was a minister in the Sena-BJP government in the 1990s. Clad always in kurta-pyjama, Mehta, known to be a follower of Gopinath Munde, has robust political wisdom and good organizing abilities.

Pankaja Munde | 35

The BJP's Gen Next OBC leader. Has emerged as her father, the late Gopinath Munde's political heir with full force after his death in June. Groomed by her father, she has represented the Parli constituency in Beed district since 2009 and helped consolidate the party's support base in Marathwada, one of the state's under-developed regions. Good speaking skills. Showed a penchant for stirring up controversy by stating recently that she would like to be CM. Like a good politician, Pankaja also quickly retracted her statement and said her words had in fact been distorted by the media. That her stock has risen in the BJP is clear from the fact that Devendra Fadnavis himself issued a clarification on her behalf to the media, saying she had called him and told him how she had been misquoted. Has a good rapport with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who declared support for her in the ass e m b l y polls.

Dilip Kamble | 52

As a child, Dilip Kamble sold garlands at Swargate bus terminus. He joined the ABVP and later the BJP. He contested elections for the first time in 1995 from Parvati, a reserved constituency and a Congress bastion. He defeated the Congress candidate Sharad Ranpise, which earned him the 'giant killer' tag. He got a berth in the Shiv Sena-BJP cabinet as minister of state for social welfare. But after the alliance lost in 1999, he put his political career on the back burner and joined his brother's construction business and moved out of Pune. Though not politically active for over a decade, he stayed busy securing employment opportunities for Dalit youths and in the process established a strong network with the Dalit community. Fifteen years later, the BJP sprung a surprise by fielding him from Pune Cantonment (which was reserved this time), another Congress stronghold for years - against Ramesh Bagwe, the former minister of state for home.

Vinod Tawde | 51

Has chutzpah and political pragmatism. Braved many crises in the past, and emerged stronger in the party. Groomed by the state BJP's stalwarts Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde. Can be trusted to resolve knotty issues. Was leader of opposition in the legislative council from 2009. His detractors both within the BJP and outside always said that he had never won an election, but Tawde silenced them this time by winning the Borivli seat with a 79,000-plus margin, the highest in Mumbai. The margin was seen as even more impressive in view of the fact that his was one of the few constituencies the Sena had "targeted". Won points with the top BJP leadership when he said BJP would not accept any conditionalities on government formation from Matoshree. And then won some more again by retorting, when the Shiv Sena said after the poll results that it had always had respect for PM Modi, that "this means we are not Afzal Khan's army."

Sudhir Mungantiwar | 52

This five-time legislator from Vidarbha is known as a hardcore organization man. Held numerous posts in the party, including the presidentship of the Maharashtra BJP. An eloquent speaker, he won the 'best orator' award in the Vidhan Sabha in 1998. He served as cabinet minister for tourism and consumer protection in the Sena-BJP government in 1999. The BJP's central leadership in New Delhi was unhappy with him recently when he pushed for Nitin Gadkari as CM even when it was clear that the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah combine wanted Fadnavis for the top job. However, the party leadership cannot ignore his credentials as an OBC leader.

Chandrakant Patil | 62

Chandrakant Patil, originally from Khanapur village of Bhudargad tehsil in Kolhapur district, grew up in Mumbai as his father worked in Bombay Dockyard. He joined the ABVP when he was doing his graduation and worked as a full-time worker with it for around 13 years. He was the national general secretary of ABVP when NDA formed a government for the first time. He was then asked to strengthen the BJP's base in Maharashtra, an assignment he carried out with full vigour. His work and political understanding helped the party grow its base in Western Maharashtra, a region opposed to the BJP for decades. He first became an MLC in 2008.

Considered politically shrewd, he was credited for getting NCP MLC Sanjay Patil from Sangli to join the BJP when he arranged his meeting with Gopinath Munde. Patil won the election, and became the first BJP MP from Sangli. Chandrakant Patil also got Congress MLC Mahadev Mahadik's son Amal to join the BJP, who contested against Congress leader and minister of state for home Satej Patil. Mahadik won, boosting Patil's stature in the BJP.

Vishnu Savara | 64

The BJP's tribal face in the Adivasi-dominated Palghar district. A farmer by profession, this five-time MLA is among the poorest in the new House: he has assets worth less than Rs 90 lakh and liabilities worth Rs 24 lakh. Known to be down-to-earth and noncontroversial and to enjoy a good rapport with BJP's grassroots-level activists. Has helped to spread the party network in the Wada, Palghar and Vikramgad areas, say party sources, despite a shortage of monetary and other resources. Is associated with some educational trusts which run schools for poor children in the district. Had represented the Bhiwandi Rural constituency before the delimitation exercise of 2008 but the switchover to Vikramgad was smooth and successful.

Vidya Thakur | 52

Vidya Thakur is a former deputy mayor and four-time corporator from Malad. She was elected deputy mayor in 2007 when Shubha Raul of the Shiv Sena was elected mayor. Her husband, Jaiprakash Thakur, vice-president of the BJP's Mumbai unit, lost the 2009 assembly elections against Aslam Sheikh from Malad West. This was the first time she contested an Assembly election and was pitted against Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena in Goregaon, who was elected twice in a row from the constituency. He was also elected in 1995 but did not contest the 1999 election.

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