Fadnavis becomes most important man in Eknath Shinde govt with over half a dozen portfolios

Shinde, who heads the rebel faction of Shiv Sena, will hold ministries of general administration, urban development, information and publicity among others

As Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde allocated portfolios to his colleagues, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis seemed to be the most powerful man in the government with over half a dozen crucial portfolios.

Fadnavis, a BJP veteran, will hold the ministries of home, finance & planning, law & judiciary, water resources and command development, housing, finance and protocol.

Shinde, who heads the rebel faction of Shiv Sena, will hold ministries of general administration, urban development, information and publicity, public works (public undertakings), transport, marketing, social justice and special assistance, relief and rehabilitation, disaster management, water conservation, environment and climate change, minority affairs and wakf.

Veteran politician Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has been given revenue, animal husbandry and dairy development portfolios.

Former state BJP president Chandrakant Patil has been given higher and technical education, textiles and parliamentary affairs ministry, while Sudhir Mungantiwar has been given forest, cultural affairs and fisheries ministry.

In the previous Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena government, Patil was the revenue minister, while Mungantiwar held the finance and planning and forest portfolios.

Fadnavis aide Girish Mahajan has been given the rural development and panchayat raj, medical education and sports and youth affairs ministry while BJP’s Dr Vijaykumar Gavit has been given the tribal affairs department.

BJP veteran Mangalprabhat Lodha has been made tourism, skill development, women and child development ministry.

Shiv Sena’s Gulabrao Patil has got the water supply and sanitation ministry - a portfolio that he held earlier.