Many leaders with family legacy find place in Maha ministry ,Congress Tops List
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Amid the eternal debate over dynastic politics in India, the newly expanded Maharashtra council of ministers has several leaders from political families.
Yuva Sena head Aaditya Thackeray, who is the son of Shiv Sena president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, was on Monday sworn in as Cabinet minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The 29-year-old leader is a first-term MLA from Worli seat in Mumbai.Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan, who also took oath as Cabinet minister, is the son of former chief minister late Shankarrao Chavan. Ashok Chavan was also chief minister from 2008 to 2010 of the then Congress-NCP state government.
Besides, NCP MLA Aditi Tatkare, who took oath as minister of state (MoS) in the Thackeray-led government, is the daughter of NCP’s Raigad Lok Sabha member Sunil Tatkare, who was irrigation and finance minister in the previous Congress-NCP government.
Aditi Tatkare is an MLA from Srivardhan seat in Raigad district.
Congress leader Amit Deshmukh also carried on his family legacy as he was inducted into state Cabinet on Monday. He is brother of film Actor Ritesh Deshmukh. The three-term MLA from Latur city is the son of former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh. Another Congress leader Vishwajit Kadam, who took oath as MoS, is the son of party leader late Patangrao Kadam.
Besides, Krantikari Shetkari Paksh leader Shankarrao Gadakh, who was inducted as Cabinet minister, is the son of former NCP leader Yaswantrao Gadakh. Shankarrao Gadakh, who was earlier an NCP MLA, quit the Sharad Pawar-led party in 2014 and formed his own outfit in 2017.His outfit is now an ally of the ruling Shiv Sena.
Nineteen of the 43 ministers in Maharashtra, including Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray are from political families. Congress, which has 12 ministers in the cabinet, tops the list with eight dynasty leaders.
Eight of the twelve Congress ministers who are from political families include Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan, Amit Deshmukh, Satej Patil. The NCP has 16 ministers in the cabinet.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy CM on Monday, nearly a month after he sided with the BJP but quit the Devendra Fadnavis’s government that collapsed within 80 hours. Six of his party’s leaders in the cabinet are also dynasts, including Aditi Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde and Prajakt Tanpure.
The Sena, which has 15 ministers in the cabinet, has the least number of dynasts but Chief Minister and his son are among the three ministers who fall in the category. “Whatever we do, we don’t it openly. We have nothing to hide,” the Chief Minster told reporters when questioned about the trend.
Monday’s cabinet expansion has also left several leaders from all three parties upset. NCP’s Prakash Solanke was about to resign but after much convincing by senior leaders- Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil – he took back his decision. “I was upset initially because I wanted more for Beed district. I was even going to resign. But Sharad Pawar and everyone convinced me. Now I am fine,” he said.
Senior Congress leaders also conveyed their discomfort to Mallikarjun Khadke and Balasaheb Thorat. “This is a small issue. There are more leaders and less ministers,” said Congress’s Ashok Chavan on party leaders being upset after they were left out of cabinet expansion.(Bureau Report with Agency Inputs).
